Kingom Hearts III: Dark Remnant
by derajdragonlord
Summary: Taking place after KH2, Sora, Riku, and Kairi find that there were far more farreaching consequences of Xehanort's actions than had ever been expected...
1. Gathering

**Kingdom Hearts III: The Dark Remnant**

_The gathering began on the new moon. No stars shone in the sky. There was no light in this place tonight…only darkness. _

_Eleven figures walked from the places they had dwelt in anticipation of the gathering. On a bleak plateau, they met._

_"It is finished, brothers…the shells have perished, and the thirteenth Order is ended." The tallest figure, which stood in the center, asserted._

_"There is still no victory to be had for us…nothing is finished by the defeat of the remains, or the ends of the nobodies…only change has resulted, as it always does," Another responded. The central figure turned to it._

_"Don't you all see? Now is the time to take CONTROL of the change! We can at last choose a new leader and decide our own destiny, eliminating the last of the Nobodies!" It cried._

_"You seek the impossible…we only help the Nobodies that survived as we attempt to help ourselves. Xehanort's foolishness has cost us any victory, no matter what we do." A third speaker, a woman, said._

_"Don't blind yourselves to our hope! Our final obstacles are blissfully unaware of our existence, and our mutual friends are gathering…very soon now, we will be too strong to eliminate." The central speaker said, raising his hands as if desperate to convince the others._

_"The Organization thought that Sora and Riku were mere tools as well…look what became of them!" _

_"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE US DO, THEN!" The central figure shouted, finally losing control. The other ten backed away from his wrath. He strode towards the latest speaker, continuing._

_"I will NOT go silently into the night! I'm not so afraid of the Keyblades that I'm content to float on the edges of existence forever! We have power, and we were wronged far more grievously than any other! Should we stay in this eternal dusk of hoplessness!" One of the others put a hand on the speaker's shoulder._

_"Be warned…you are not the greatest of us, and you are not our leader…not yet. I will not follow fools…" The central figure, hearing this, hung his head, defeated. The man took his hand off his shoulder, and to the surprise of the others, stood beside him, facing the remaining people._

_"…But you are right. I shall follow you." The woman that had spoken stepped forward._

_"As will I."_

_"And I."_

_"And I."_

_"And I."_

_"I'll follow you too."_

_"…Very well, I'll join."_

_"Me too."_

_"Count me in." _

_All of the members who had spoken turned to the one that had been the source of the new leader's wrath. _

_"…If…if this is truly the will of the rest…you shall have my support." He said reluctantly, finally bowing to the man._

_"We are decided. You are now our leader. Do not fail us, as Xehanort did…or you will find our loyalty shall not last." _

_"Agreed. It is time to leave our exile." The newly declared Leader stated._

_"Time to return to the world of Light."_


	2. The King's summons

**Chapter 2**

Sora, Riku, and Kairi flew through space. They were able to all comfortably fit in the hold of the Gummi Ship Highwind. They'd been summoned to Disney Castle. King Mickey had summoned them, saying it was urgent, but refusing to explain any further.

"…What do you think it is?" Sora asked finally, somewhat uncomfortable in the quiet.

"Who knows? I thought we were done with fighting, but…" Riku shrugged.

Sora nodded grimly, turning back to the controls. The rest of the trip was quiet, and soon Disney castle appeared before them, beautiful as ever. Sora took it in for a gentle landing.

The three friends entered the throne room. Mickey and his Queen, Minnie, sat in the middle, on two golden chairs. Next to them stood Donald Duck and Daisy, and Goofy and his knights stood in two parallel lines. Upon the three friends' entrance, the formality vanished. Goofy and Donald waved enthusiastically to Sora, and Mickey rose from his throne, walking briskly to the group, and bowing low. Sora and the others returned the gesture.

"Your majesty…what do you require of us?" Sora asked at length, straightening up.

"I'm glad you came, Sora, Riku, Kairi. We need to speak on this matter in the library." Mickey said solemnly, walking in the direction of the room. Donald and Goofy followed, walking alongside Sora.

"How've ya been, Sora?" Goofy asked amiably. Sora grinned, glad to see his friend.

"We've been fine…how's it being home?"

"It's great to be here with the King…but I wouldn't say no to some adventure every now and then." Donald replied. They reached the Library. Mickey turned to face them.

"I've called you here because of a massive misbalance in the order of the universe." He said, sitting down heavily.

"What?" Sora asked, not sure he wanted the answer.

"…The Heartless…they've multiplied explosively." Mickey said.

Sora stared at the king in horror. The Heartless…he'd thought the creatures vanquished twice…and twice they'd proved him unfinished.

"But…Xehanort…Xemnas…we defeated them both…how on earth could anyone still be leading Heartless?" Riku said, as though he had difficulty breathing.

"Some people have appeared out of nowhere. They can control Heartless, but they don't look or act like members of the Organization." Mickey opened up a book Sora recognized as the Journal Jiminy Cricket had kept for them.

"There's also another problem…a new creature has appeared, neither Heartless or Nobody." Sora saw pictures of bizarre, armored creatures in grey, black, and white armor wreaking havoc. They bore insignias of both the Heartless and Nobody.

"We need to stop them." Sora said firmly.

"You're right, but you must know," Mickey said solemnly, "My place is here. I won't be able to come with you. I must defend my kingdom if these fiends should invade." The small mouse stood up. "Sora…Riku…Kairi…Donald…Goofy…I'm depending on you." He said. "I'd advise coordinating yourself with Leon and the others in Radiant Gardens."

Sephiroth stood atop a tall cliff. The barren valley where the Heartless Armies had fought Sora and his friends had been his dwelling place for a long time now…it felt natural to him.

He'd been bested narrowly by the boy…he looked forward to being able to fight the child once more.

As vortexes of darkness spat dark creatures onto the ground around him, Sephiroth remembered why he liked this place so much.

A few minutes later, the last Heartless was annihilated. Sephiroth looked up at the sky, waiting for the next fight. He flexed his wings in anticipation. He abruptly turned around sharply, seeing a man wearing a navy blue hood and cape behind him, leaning against a wall, arms crossed.

"What do you want?" he asked. The hooded man said nothing for a moment, as though he were appraising Sephiroth.

"I was merely wondering…would you be interested…in a job?" he asked. His voice was confident and calculated.

Sephiroth turned to him in genuine bewilderment, but a stream of information suddenly penetrated his mind. After a moment, he blinked, and looked at the man.

"What kind of job?" He smirked.


	3. Meeting in the darkness

Thanks for all your reviews, everyone. 

**Chapter 3**

_The chamber was black, illuminated only by a thin pillar of light from the center of the ceiling. A creature in a formless grey cloak knelt within the light. Behind him, in the impenetrable darkness, the Leader spoke._

_"Do you see? Can you see the future?" The cloaked figure shuddered painfully._

_"I see…a future…a distant future…" It said, a spasm of pain going through its body. Its breathing and words were very forced._

_"I see…three armored humans…they have keyblades…their world is a dusty wasteland…they come to a field of endless keyblades in the ground…the two kingdom keys are there….and the Way to the Dawn as well…They claim them for their own…then…" Its face almost hit the ground as another spasm wracked its body._

_"Master Of Keyblade…the lost two…Memory of Xehanort…Chasers…Keyblade War…No…It's…" A hideous scream tore from the grey robe._

_"DESTRUCTION! THE END OF ALL! THE VICTORY OF THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS! XEHANORT'S FINAL SIN!" It screamed, its body warping and distorting. It finally fell to the ground._

_"…Our…victory…we…must…triumph…or…this…is…what…shall…come to pass…" It gasped, blood running from somewhere in its hood. It tried to get up._

_"To stop this future…Sora…must…die."_

Sephiroth crossed his arms, looking at the man in a black and green robe.

"I believe I've made it clear to you what we're trying to do, and where you stand in that, Sephiroth?" The man asked, still looking out a window, back to Sephiroth.

"Crystal. Now, about my terms…" The man waved a hand.

"Yes, yes…we won't let Sora die until you've had your rematch with him, and you have exclusive rights to fighting Cloud." He turned to face Sephiroth. "I've accepted your terms…I merely ask for your cooperation. If you desire Heartless to help you, or anything else, don't hesitate to ask…" Sephiroth cocked his head.

"One question…what would you have done if I hadn't agreed to what you wanted?" He asked.

"Nothing…We were already assured of your neutrality if we never approached you…but as you know, we could benefit from your…talents…on our side. Besides, it's not like you're the only person we've negotiated with…" Sephiroth looked up.

"Who else?"

"You'll be meeting him in a few minutes…you have quite a bit in common."

"One more question…what are these…_things_…you keep around…they're not like Heartless…hardly worthwhile to have as servants…" Sephiroth said.

The man found something very amusing.

"They're not our servants…we prefer to think of them as 'mutual friends.' They are not Heartless, but they are not Nobodies either. In fact…there's only one thing separating them from you or Sora."

"And that would be…?"

The man told him. Sephiroth laughed for a long period of time.

"So where is this person you want me to work with?" He said at length.

"Right here." A man's voice spoke. Sephiroth turned and looked at the person.

The cloaked man began to leave the room.

"Get to know each other. You're partners from here on out."

Then he was gone.


	4. Failure's Revival

**Chapter 4**

Sora took the Highwind in for a masterful landing on Radiant Gardens…the realm that had once prospered under Ansem the Wise. It had been restored greatly since the last visit…

Sora and his friends marveled at the restored beauty of the place as they walked over to Merlin's house. Yuffie, who'd been sitting outside, saw them.

"Hey guys!" She shouted, running over to them. "How've you been? It's been ages!"

"We've been fine, Yuffie. Is Leon in?" Sora asked.

"Yeah…go on in." She said.

Leon got up as Sora entered, shaking his hand.

"Good to see you, Sora. Did the King send you?" He asked. Sora nodded, and saw a strange blond man sitting at the table.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"Oh, him? That's our newest member." The man got up, and with surprising speed, appeared in front of Sora. He had blue eyes, gold hair, and, as Sora saw, a long, fuzzy tail.

"Name's Zidane. Nice to meetcha." He said amiably, shaking Sora's hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Cool…so what's going on?" Sora asked.

"Bad things…the Heartless have multiplied…" Suddenly an alarm went off.

"Damn! An attack…we'll have to talk later!" Leon said. Everyone quickly rushed to the valley.

The place was filled with heartless…more than the time Malificent had made her final bid for control of the world.

A figure suddenly descended from the sky, wielding an enormous sword. Sora's eyes widened in recognition.

"Cloud!" The hero turned, and flashed a thumbs-up at Sora.

Sora and his friends joined in the fight. A Darkside loomed out of the mass. Sora struggled towards it, but suddenly a blur sprang into the air, colliding with the Heartless's face. Its head exploded into black rags, and the body dissolved. Zidane landed, two daggers in hand. Sora was impressed.

As they fought, Leon, Cloud, and Zidane came back-to back. Leon suddenly realized the Heartless were fighting strangely…

"We're being…_herded_…Cloud! They're trying to isolate Sora!" He shouted.

"We don't have a choice! He has to handle himself!" Cloud grunted.

However, as they reached a great opening in the valley, the Heartless simply receded to fill in all areas of escape.

"I don't like this…" Zidane said, looking around.

"Only Natural, I suppose…this was hardly a subtle trap…" A voice rang across the valley.

Cloud tensed.

"SEPHIROTH!" The man in question appeared before them.

"Hello, Cloud." He said, smirking.

"How are you controlling Heartless?" Cloud growled.

"I could tell you…but where's the fun in that?" Sephiroth said, suddenly swinging his sword. Cloud and the others dodged.

"Bad move, Sephiroth…Sora might have to be on his own a while, but how long do you think you'll last against all _three_ of us!" Cloud shouted.

The battle was fierce, and ranged everywhere. Cloud finally lunged at Sephiroth, who parried his attack and kicked him away. He was narrowly able to knock aside Leon's attack, when suddenly Zidane jumped over their heads, landing behind Sephiroth.

The One Winged Angel cried out in pain as Zidane slashed his back to ribbons with his daggers. Flying up in the air, he traced a figure eight of light.

"SIN HARVEST!" He shouted, striking them with the evil magic. He then descended, chopping at all three. To his surprise, they blocked. Cloud began to laugh, despite his labored breathing.

"You…idiot…Now…_you're going DOWN!_" He ran forward.

"OMNISLASH!" He shouted, striking at Sephiroth again and again. Sephiroth was able to land on his feet, clutching his side. Suddenly Squall ran headlong at him.

"RENZOKUKEN!" He shouted, hitting Sephiroth with five explosive slashes.

"LIONHEART!" Sephiroth was struck again and again with Squall's sword, landing at last on his neck.

"Argh…" He suddenly saw Zidane glow a brilliant White. With a wave of his hand, legions of Heartless began to charge.

"GRAND LEATHAL!" Zidane's attack released a wide blast of brilliant lights. It not only destroyed the Heartless, but also converged on Sephiroth for an explosion that shook the valley.

"Megalixer…" Leon said, distributing the item. Cloud picked up his sword.

"Let's finish him off." Suddenly, several bells appeared over Sephiroth's head, and green light closed his wounds.

"Curaga!" Leon gasped.

"ULTIMA!" Zidane's head snapped up.

"Leon! Cloud! RUN!" He shouted, jumping to the side.

The valley was suddenly alight with magical blasts. Cloud and Leon both fell to the ground. Zidane had taken cover beneath a rock hanging, and got up.

A man in a white trenchcoat walked down. He had long white hair in a small ponytail, and wore some black armor underneath his coat. He smiled.

"Hello, Zidane."

"You…" Zidane said, falling to his knees. The man looked over at the groggy Sephiroth.

"Just _had_ to take all three on your own, didn't you? What the hell would you do if I wasn't around to save your ass?" He sniffed. Sephiroth glared at him.

"How are you still alive?" Zidane asked, a strange, haunted expression on his face. It suddenly turned to anger. "_Where is she?_" He growled. The man looked confused.

"Who?" Zidane drew his daggers and charged.

_"WHERE IS DAGGER!"_ He roared. The man in white drew a pair of daggers similar to Zidane's, gracefully dodging Zidane's attacks. He finally cut him on the cheek.

"Look for your pals on your own time, Zidane. I'm just here to warn you to stay out of my way if you know what's good for you."

"Stop right there!" Sora shouted, jumping into the valley, flanked by Riku and Kairi. The man looked at them.

"Lay off, kid." He said, snapping his fingers immediately, everyone but Zidane and Sephiroth was hit by the man in white's Stopga spell, frozen in time.

"There's a lot that's about to happen, Zidane. You should stay out of it…or I can't guarantee your safety.

And with that, he snapped his fingers and was gone. Sora was released, and ran over to Zidane.

"Are you all right? Who was that?" Zidane looked at the ground, fists clenching.

"That was my brother…Kuja."


	5. Warning from the Dark

**Chapter 5**

The eleven sat in the dark halls.

"Sephiroth failed. We underestimated the power of Sora's friends as a group." One said, a note of disappointment in his voice. "What do we do now, Sir?"

The leader, after a moment of quiet contemplation, stood.

"I'm going to speak to the boy…face-to-face." Several others nearly stood.

"Sir, that's ridiculous! Even if Sora were to give you time to speak, Leon and his followers would cut you down in an instant!"

"I'll be taking Kuja with me…he can _make_ time for me to talk…" He looked over at one of the others, who was wearing a red cloak with black stripes in it. The clasp of the cloak was the Heartless crest with the colors inverted.

"I request you come along too…you know what to say if he persists after I speak to him."

"Yes, sir."

Sora walked through the Radiant Gardens alone. So many strange things had happened… He was trying to figure out what they meant. First Sephiroth could control Heartless, and now Zidane's brother was with him…Zidane had refused to say anything when they got back, storming into his room and locking the door. Sora wondered if Sephiroth and Kuja were connected with the group that could control Heartless…the ones supposedly behind all this…

He suddenly realized that the talk around him had stopped. He turned, seeing everyone…frozen. It was as though he had dropped out of time itself…

"Sora." A deep voice rang out. Sora turned and saw a tall man walking towards him. He was wearing a black robe with jagged green stripes through it…and underneath it, dark green armor. He was wearing a hood, but Sora could see a glowing yellow eye beneath it…

"Who are you?"

"That is of no consequence. What concerns you is that I'm not here to fight; I just want to talk to you." Sora had been about to conjure the Keyblade…this man felt strangely familiar…

"Have we…met before?" Sora asked.

"…No. But I've heard a great deal about you." The man walked closer to Sora.

"You know of the strange and terrible things that are happening, don't you?"

"Yeah. And I think _you're _in on it if you're talking about them…so whatever you want, forget it." Sora snapped. He couldn't trust this man. The stranger laughed.

"I'm not here to ask you for anything…I'm just here to put a question to you. There's a war coming, Sora. I've seen it beginning. I'm just here to ask you…_are you sure you're on the right side?_" Sora was confused, but the man began to dissolve into darkness.

"Think about that…we'll meet again, sometime soon." As the man vanished, time resumed. Sora looked about in confusion.

He wandered aimlessly, lost in thought. Finally, he saw Riku and Kairi.

"Sora! Where have you been? We were getting worried." Riku called as he approached.

Sora told them about what happened.

" 'Are you sure you're on the right side?' That seems strange…maybe he was trying to trick you." Riku concluded. After a while, Sora began walking back to Merlin's house.

He suddenly realized someone was watching him.

Turning quickly, he saw a man in red and black looking at him, also wearing a hood.

"You…you're with that man that spoke to me earlier…aren't you?"

"Quick study, huh? You don't seem to trust us, am I right?"

"I've learned not to trust people that don't show their faces until they have a weapon pointed at me." Sora said coldly. The man laughed softly.

"Nice...I'll remember you said that…but I'm not here to chat…I got a message from the boss."

"What…?" Sora asked, confused.

"Either help us, or stay out of our way, Sora. If you start interfering, people—people like your friends—are gonna get hurt. Simple message. _Got it memorized?_"

Sora's breath caught in his throat. No…it couldn't be!

"Later."

"Wait!" Sora cried, but the man was gone.

Trembling, confused, Sora made his way back to the house without any further confrontations.

Elsewhere, the man in green and black sat in a chair. He looked quietly at a young man in a silver jacket and jeans working a synthesis furnace.

"Can you do it?"

"…Yeah. But I'm gonna need materials…and lots of them."

"Consider it done. How soon will it be ready?"

"When you can give me everything I need to finish it."

"So we understand each other."

"I won't mess up. You just worry about getting your stuff together, and I'll deliver."

"Good." And with that, the man was gone. The young man went back to his calculations.

"Heh…who'd have thought they'd be clever enough to figure all this out? This is going to be interesting…" He said to himself.


	6. Moonlight encounter

**Chapter 6**

Sora lay on his bed, thinking. Who had that man in red been?

It couldn't have been Axel…there was no way he was still alive. And the man had sounded older than Axel, too…too old for the time that had elapsed since his death.

And yet he had perfectly imitated Axel's body language and the inflection of his words…

"Are these guys…trying to use Roxas's memories to get to me?" He said quietly. He got up, and walked outside.

To his surprise, Zidane was sitting on the roof.

"Can't sleep, Zidane?" He asked. Zidane kept looking at the moon.

"I haven't been able to sleep for a while now, kid…it's nothing new."

"Why?" Sora asked, sitting down next to the man. Zidane shrugged uncomfortably.

"Dreams I have…and this feeling I get when I'm alone at night…" Sora saw he was deeply bothered by this, and didn't inquire further. Zidane looked at the sky, the faintest beginning of a bitter laugh escaping him.

"I've been looking for anyone from my world for so long…it figures that the only one I've found is my brother…and he's my enemy again…" Zidane was turning a small leathery thing around in his hands. He noticed Sora looking at it.

"This? It's…the last thing I have to remember them…my friends." He opened it and handed it to Sora. The boy saw a group of eight in the picture, Zidane among them.

There was a tall knight in the background, looming over the others…a man with red hair somewhat separate from the group…a woman that resembled a mouse…a large, froglike creature…Zidane was embracing a beautiful young woman, both of them smiling. In the front of the group were two small children.

"Steiner…Amarant…Freya…Quina…Eiko and Vivi…and…" Zidane said a seventh name, too softly for Sora to hear.

"And…Garnet." Sora closed the picture gently, and handed it back to Zidane.

"You've been looking for them all this time?"

"Yes…" Zidane said, clearly trying not to seem sad. Sora suddenly remembered something.

"Wait…which of them was Vivi? I know a Vivi!" Zidane looked sharply at him.

"The boy in front…wearing the large hat." Sora sat up.

"That's him! He lives in Twilight Town!" Zidane's face lit up.

"He's alive? Is he well?"

"Yes…he's with a group of other kids."

"…I have to…go find him tomorrow. Where did you say he was?"

"Twilight Town."

"…Thank you, Sora." Zidane said, smiling genuinely for the first time that night.

"No problem, Zidane."

Sora went back into his room. He sat on his bed for a while, thinking about everything that had happened that day. He suddenly looked up. A Grey cloak, flanked by two people in Organization XIII jackets, was standing there.

"What? Who are you?" The head inside the hood cocked to the side.

"…So you are Sora." A voice came from the hood. It was…a woman? She crossed her arms. One of the people in black cloaks put a hand on her shoulder.

"…Beware, Sora. You have been warned twice…but it is too little, too late. Guard yourself…you are already entangled…they are coming for you."

"What? Who's coming?" but the trio was gone as suddenly as they'd come.

Sora sat a moment…and finally reclined on his bed, thinking.

The red-cloaked figure was walking through the dark halls. The man in navy blues walked by.

_"That was a nice touch, how you ended your message. If I didn't know any better, I'd suspect you wanted him to think you were Axel…"_

_"Number Eight. The Flurry of Dancing Flames…our surest entry point into that boy's mind. We need him curious…but he's not onto our game…not yet."_

_"Be sure that the boy doesn't catch on." The man said, walking on._

_"He won't…not unless he has…outside assistance."_

_"See he doesn't get any." The man said curtly, and vanished._


	7. Violent fate

**Chapter 7**

Sora, Riku, and Kairi bid Leon and the others farewell the next morning. Joining up with Donald and Goofy, who had been out early getting supplies, they waited for Zidane.

The thief walked up, anticipation obvious in his eyes.

"Hey, Zidane!" Sora called. "Are you coming in the Highwind?" Zidane shook his head.

"Nah…I wouldn't want to slow you down. Besides, I've got my own ship; I can watch your back if anything comes up." Zidane walked over to a smaller, ruby red gummi ship.

"Lead the way."

A short while later, Sora landed in Twilight Town. Zidane's ship came immediately after. Sora looked around, sighing contentedly.

"I like how it's always sunset here...come on, Vivi should be in the Sandlot with Seifer and his friends." Sora led the group down to the Sandlot. As predicted, the group was there. Vivi looked up suddenly.

"Oh. Hi, Mr. Sora." He said. Suddenly he saw Zidane. His eyes went very wide. Zidane stepped forward, but both of them stood mute.

"…Z-Zidane? Is that really you?" Vivi asked, his voice shaking.

"Vivi…" Zidane said, finding it equally hard to speak. With a sudden cry of forgotten joy, the tiny mage ran forward and embraced his friend.

"I knew I wasn't the only one!"

A few moments later, Zidane sat on a bench, catching up with the boy.

"So…this is where you woke up when Gaia cease to be?" He asked, looking around.

"Y-yeah…I saw a really big light, and I walked towards it. Then Seifer and his friends found me asleep in the Sandlot…and they said I could hang around with them until you or the others came for me…" Vivi replied. He noticed Zidane's downcast eyes.

"Am…Am I the only one you've found? Have you seen Eiko and the others?"

"No…" Zidane said, but his expression brightened. "But we're sure to find them again, I know it!" Vivi nodded.

Sora went over to Seifer.

"Hey, Seifer…has there been anything weird going on lately?"

"You mean outsiders coming around? No." Sora thanked the group, and he set off with his friends.

"Zidane?" Vivi finally asked.

"Hm?"

"…I want to come with you and your friends. I wanna look for everyone too." Zidane smiled, giving Vivi a thumbs-up.

"Just like old times."

Sora felt something very odd going on in this place…finally, he went to investigate the Haunted House.

The gates were blasted off their hinges. The Keyblade, in Oathkeeper form, appeared in Sora's hand. He looked around warily…there were signs of a large struggle recently…the victor proceeded into the house…

"Guys, be careful…I think we might get attacked." Riku nodded. As Sora stepped forward, he suddenly saw a huge flash.

When his eyes cleared, he was still where he was before…only now the colors of the world were inverted…like the negative of a photo. Riku and everyone else was the same, and frozen in time.

"What is this?" Sora heard movement. He turned in time to see a huge knight stride from the mansion into the clearing.

The man was wearing black armor all over, and his helmet was like the head of a Jackal. A ragged red cape was on his back.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"…" A huge Keyblade, resembling a Tulwar with a Lion's head attached to form the key shape, appeared in the man's hands. Sora got into an attacking position.

"What's going on?"

"…" The man moved with speed that did not match his size. Sora was barely able to lift Oathkeeper as a guard.

Even a glancing blow from the knight was like a thousand sledgehammers crashing down on the sword. Sora jumped back, ready to continue the fight. The man charged again…

Sora had been bracing himself for a while before he realized there was no blow to defend against. He opened his eyes to see the knight transfixed by a gleaming silver saber. A man in an Organization XIII jacket was holding it. The knight gave a rattling gasp, and fell to the ground, dead.

"Who are you? WHAT'S GOING ON?" Sora shouted. First a man had come at him with a keyblade, and now this?

The cloaked man shook his head. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the world reverted to normal. There was no hooded man or armored corpse.

"…Sora?" Kairi asked uncertainly.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Are you…all right? You sortra…blurred there for a minute…"

"…It's nothing. Come on."

As the group entered the house, the man in red sat in a nearby tree, watching them. Another man, wearing a sky blue and black cloak, sat next to him.

"Did you see that?" The man in red asked.

"Yeah…what was that?" His companion responded. "I thought the Leader said the Organization was kaput."

"I wonder…" The man said, his voice suspicious.

"Oh, come on! You can't think that one of them SURVIVED! Even if Sora didn't finish 'em off, the Nonexistent World went kaboom when Xemnas lost."

"That wouldn't have finished off all the Nobodies…and has anyone told you that you talk way too much?"

"Story of my life," the man in blue said disinterestedly. "God knows YOU say it often enough."

"And yet you never change."

"Nice." The man said, somewhat sourly. "We got a job to do. You can lecture me later." The man in red growled.

"Listen! We might have been teamed up for this, but _I'm_ in charge. _Got it memorized?_" He jumped off the tree, and teleported. The other man sighed.

"Geez…what a grouch…he's even starting to talk like him…" And with that, vanished as well.

_In a distant realm, in the dead of night, a horrifying rend opened in the sky. From it many armored men and woman appeared._

"Someone knows we're here."

"It might be that our rivals saw fit to inform someone of our prescence...no matter. We will be victorious...we just need to find the right allies..."


	8. Plunge into Nothing

**Chapter 8**

Due to the problems of the mansion's size, everyone decided to split into separate groups. Sora walked down the halls, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There were no slashes on the wall…no evidence anything had been messed around with…

Sora sighed in frustration.

"Nothing…" He saw Kairi walking just below him. He leaned over to ask if she'd seen anything, when he saw the beginnings of a dark orb forming.

"KAIRI! LOOK OUT!" A man in blue appeared, grabbing Kairi by the wrist.

"Let go of me!" She cried, her own Keyblade forming. The swing was hasty and badly aimed, but the man used his free hand to catch the sword.

"Damn it, why is this always _my _job?" He grumbled. He and Kairi began to vanish into a dark portal.

Sora lunged over the railing. The man in red from Radiant Gardens appeared in front of him suddenly.

"Passage denied, kid."

Sora never saw what hit him, but he was flung backwards, hitting the ceiling. He had a long way to fall when gravity kicked in.

"Kai…ri…" Sora gasped, finally blacking out.

Kairi struggled against the man holding onto her arm.

"Sora!"

"Damn you, hold still!" The man grunted. Kairi kneed him in the stomach, and he let go, a muffled curse escaping him. Kairi was suddenly falling, seeing nothing below but more darkness…

The man in red appeared next to his companion.

"What happened? Where is she?" He barked.

"Stupid…girl….she kicked me…I dropped her into the void by accident." The man in red growled in exasperation at this.

"…C'mon…we gotta get looking for where it'll spit her out."

"She'll turn up on another world?"

"If she doesn't die." The man said casually. The pair vanished.

_The two men in Organization XIII Jackets were walking in a corridor along the void. One suddenly looked up, seeing a speck of color in the blackness._

_"Look!" He said, pointing._

_"I got it." His companion responded, jumping up and grabbing the person. As he landed, they saw it was a young woman._

_"Is that…Namine?" The man carrying Kairi shook his head._

_"No…this is her Other…she's lost inside herself…" He stood for a moment in thought. He then began to walk back the way they'd come._

_"If she's here, they've begun to move in earnest…"_

_"Why now?" _

_"Who knows? They have enough pieces in play…they're looking for leverage against everyone that would stand against them."_

_"Roxas."_

_"Exactly. I'm taking Namine back to Her…She'll know what to do about this." _

_"It's a miracle she wasn't swallowed up…"_

_"There's no darkness in her heart…that's why Namine wasn't like us."_

_The two walked until a large castle loomed out of nowhere. The path they'd traveled faded behind them. _

_They were greeted not long after entering by a tall woman wearing a flowing white dress. Her hair was long, and bone white. She started as she saw who the taller man was carrying._

_"Namine's other…the Princess!" _

_"We found her in the Void…it's begun to affect her mind…can you help her?"_

_"Bringing her here has cut off that influence to her…you two have saved her life."_

_"What do we do? You know what this means, my Lady." _

_"…I must speak to her when she awakens…I must explain what is happening to her. Let her rest in the Guest room until then." _

_The two men took Kairi gently into a large room, laying her down on the bed. One of the men put a hand on her forehead gently._

_"Rest well, Namine…we will need you soon more than ever." The other man turned to a small shape standing silently in the shadows._

_"Watch her until she wakes up. She's very important. When she's ready…take her to meet the Lady." The tiny figure nodded silently, watching Kairi intently. The two men left the room._

_"What now, brother?"_

_"We cannot linger here…our job is to aid Roxas in any way we can. They're trying to separate him from his friends…we'll make sure he's not isolated when they strike."_

_"Right." The two men walked in silence through the void. Soon the castle was out of sight._


	9. The Destroyer is Manifest

**Chapter 9**

Sora and Riku searched desperately for Kairi. There was no sign of her.

"You said they came out of nowhere?" Riku asked. "They just…appeared?"

"Yeah…one attacked Kairi, and then another one knocked me out…" Sora said, still frantically moving things aside. "Then they were gone!"

Riku shook his head sadly. "If they're gone…we'll have to find them again before we can see Kairi. They'll have kidnapped her, if they're anything like the people we've fought before…"

"We have to save her!" Sora cried, beginning to run towards the exit.

"Calm down, Sora! We have no leads, and if the Heartless are back at these men's behest, then all the worlds could be in danger."

Sora stopped, realizing this was true. Jack…Ariel…Pooh…Mulan…Beast…all of them could be in need of his help against the Heartless. If he could find clues of his enemy's location by helping them, that's what he'd do.

"Right…we should run a patrol through all the worlds. That'll probably let us know what's going on."

Zidane walked in, followed by Vivi. Donald and Goofy entered from another door.

"Nothing, Sora. She's long gone…" Zidane said, shaking his head. Sora nodded sadly.

"Riku, Donald, Goofy, and I are going to see if the other worlds are okay…what are you two gonna do?"

"We're going back to Radiant Gardens…we'll be able to support you if you need any help." Zidane said. Seeing Sora's distress, he put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, ok? You're the key of destiny; it'll all work out." Sora nodded. Zidane turned and led Vivi to his ship. He gave the Quartet a thumbs-up, before the ship took off. Sora opened up the Highwind.

"C'mon."

A small planet hung alone in space. It was a dry, dead-looking world, with a magnificent cathedral rising out of it. There were no other planets for miles, but the building shone with a light that could be seen from a great distance. The rock the planet was made of practically sang with power.

The group of dark-garbed people stood in the hold of a massive ship, looking down on the planet. Kuja and Sephiroth were with them.

"So…this is the planet you've been looking for?" Kuja asked interestedly.

"Yes…this world's heart is powerful beyond belief…" The Leader said. Another shuddered.

"Such power…it's almost…_intoxicating…_"

"Do not strike at the heart of this world until we have the treasure of that cathedral. Is everyone clear on that?"

"Yes, sir." All of them replied.

The raid on the planet was a short and bloody affair. The once-grand cathedral, left unguarded by anything but vast distances from unfriendly eyes, was desecrated and razed by the invading force, all of its unique treasures plundered with no remorse.

The leader looked over at one of his companions.

"Report?"

"It's just as we suspected…we took everything in there…but sir…"

"What? Is something wrong?"

"One's…missing, sir. Those clever little punks must have hidden it."

"It matters little…do you have what I requested?"

"Here it is, sir." Several stones were handed over to the Leader.

"Come. It's time to show Sora that we are not to be trifled with."

Sora piloted the Highwind towards Traverse Town. This was one of the two worlds that swayed precariously between light and darkness. It was the home of the castaways from worlds destroyed by Heartless. Sora was relieved that there was no damage to it. Suddenly, however, a burst of static came from the communications console. A hooded face appeared in the view screen.

"You didn't heed our warnings, Sora. But I'm a forgiving person…I'm giving you one more chance to bow out of this show." The tone was unmistakable; this was not an offer, it was a threat.

"Where's Kairi? I know you were behind her kidnapping!" Sora shouted.

"You'll have a lot more to worry about than your lost friend if you don't surrender immediately."

"I'll fight you to my last breath." Sora spat. "You're a coward, trying to kidnap my friends to manipulate me!"

"…Then I cannot change your mind?" The man asked. One of his glowing yellow eyes appeared. He seemed…excited?

"Never." Sora said grimly. He was the Keyblade Master. He could _never_ give in…otherwise something horrible would happen.

"Very well, brat." The reply came, a malicious laugh accompanying it. "I have tried to be reasonable, but you forced my hand. It's time for you to see just what we're capable of!" Sora saw the man appear in space, standing atop a small black platform. He was looking down at Traverse Town!

"WAIT! What are you doing?" Sora cried, horror drenching him.

"You have made an enemy of me, and therefore I will show you what that means. You will pay for your pride with the lives of a world." The man raised an arm, which began to glow with energy.

"WAIT! STOP!" Sora shouted, piloting his ship in.

"Too late, child. ETERNAL…" A blinding light shone forth, and the man's arm descended, pointing at the world with a decisive action.

"—**_BREATH_**!" The light solidified into an unspeakably large creature. Words failed to describe its terrible form.

"That's…a guardian force…it's Eden…" Riku said, numb with horror.

Eden looked down at Traverse town, and extended one of its massive arms.

Traverse Town didn't explode slowly or be torn apart; it was simply replaced instantly with an explosion similar to a tiny supernova.

The catastrophic explosion, and the knowledge that hundreds, if not thousands, of people had been on the planet when it exploded, would haunt Sora's dreams for many nights to come. There were no tears; tears couldn't express the enormity of this horror.

"Why?" He asked, his voice broken and weak. He shook uncontrollably. "Why did you do this?" The man snapped his fingers, and Eden vanished.

"This is my message to you. You are my enemy now. And in doing so, you have made all worlds that do not submit to my will my enemies as well. I will destroy anything and anyone that stands against me. Get in my way, and you'll see that this is but a taste of what I'm capable of." The man vanished into thin air. Sora slumped out of his seat, a broken sob escaping him. Riku and the others could only look in horror at the empty void where Traverse Town had been.


	10. The Threads of Destiny

**Chapter 10**

Sora, still grievously shaken by the destruction of Traverse Town, landed in Radiant Gardens. He got out, and began to walk away from the ship…in the opposite direction of the town.

"Sora! Where are you going?" Donald called.

"I…I need to be alone for a while…" Sora said, walking towards the Crystal Fissure.

He didn't stop walking until he reached the Dark Depths. He sat down there, and looked out at the valleys, his mind elsewhere.

That man had destroyed Traverse Town with a flick of his wrist. He could do the same to Radiant Gardens, or Twilight Town, or even the Islands just as easily…was this someone too powerful to stand against?

Sora brooded on his thoughts for a long time. There was very little hope in his mind…not after what he'd just witnessed.

Fight this enemy…and who knew how many more would die?

But…if he didn't fight…they'd just use the Heartless to take over all the worlds…Sora hung his head. This dilemma was made far worse by the fact that no mater what he did, innocent people would get hurt.

_Better to die on your feet than live on your knees_. Sora started, and looked around. Who said that?

_Where is the strength you had before? The Organization could have destroyed worlds, and fighting the Heartless helped them. Did you stop? No. You fought._

…Roxas?

_You're the Keyblade's chosen one, Sora. Only you can fight this battle. Not Riku, not Cloud and Squall, not Zidane, YOU. Do you think that these people would want to live in darkness eternally because you wouldn't fight?_

But…the worlds…

_These people aren't stupid. They want to conquer the worlds, not end them. I think that that man was trying to break your will…are you going to let him win?_

…No. You're right, Roxas…I can't let them use me.

_Don't shut yourself off to mourning…but don't let sorrow swallow you. Just like anger, any of your emotions can be used as weapons by your enemies._

Sora suddenly felt someone behind him. He turned.

It was one of the men from before…the ones wearing Organization XIII jackets…

"Who-? Why are you here?"

"You have suffered a great blow to your spirit, Roxas. I came because I was worried. You are likely to be attacked while still shaken."

Sora remembered all the people in Organization XIII had called him "Roxas" as well…but this man didn't sound anything like the ones he'd fought. The man sat down next to him. Sora barely was able to avoid getting up and summoning the keyblade.

"I came here to set your mind at ease about Namine."

_Namine? Wait…Kairi!_

"Where is she? Is she safe?" Sora asked frantically, turning to the man.

"She is in the safest place imaginable. Your enemies will tell you they have her, threaten her…even show you illusions of her suffering because you don't comply with them. Remember that _it's all a lie_. They will stop at nothing to make you bend to their will. But know that no harm will come to Namine while we still draw breath."

"Can you take me to her? Please," Sora said, his panic subsiding at the man's words. He shook his head.

"I wish it were otherwise, Roxas, but the Heartless can track your Keyblade in a way they cannot sense hers. Taking you or Riku to see Kairi would let the Heartless know where you were, and lead their masters right to the Sanctuary…and it is not just Namine that will come to harm if that happens." Sora could tell from his tone that the man did seem genuinely sorry.

"Do you…know anything about these guys? I can only assume you're fighting them…"

"My other mission here was to inform you about your enemies, but unfortunately, they are a very secretive group…we don't know much. But we can tell you the name of their leader…the destroyer of Traverse Town."

Sora's fists clenched. "It's not Xehanort returned, is it?"

"No…this man calls himself Iramaul, King of the Darkness." The man looked over the valley. "He is the leader of a group that refers to itself as the "Remnant", but of what, we have no idea…only that they are very powerful and ruthless. You will be hard pressed to defeat them…" The man stood up. Sora did as well.

"But know this: there are many forces at work in this story, and not all of them are your enemies. You will find help in unlikely places. Just remember you are never alone, Roxas."

And with that, he was gone.

Sora returned to the group. They all seemed worried, but he smiled, even though it was just to let them know he was all right.

"It's all right. I know that I have to do what I can to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again." His expression was deadly serious. "There will be time to grieve when the worlds are safe."

Late that night, Sora began to toss and turn in his sleep. A dream began to form in his mind, crushing the one he'd been having before…

_Sora walked through an interminable wasteland. There was nothing that he could see for miles…just more sand and rocks. He saw some ruined buildings, but as he passed, the world was completely devoid of life. _

_Suddenly, the scenery changed. Sora now saw things coming out of the ground. As he looked around, he realized he was standing in a field of keyblades…dug into the ground as far as he could see. He looked to the horizon, not understanding how they came to be here. What he saw on the horizon made his blood run cold._

_A ragged black shape was walking towards him…a hooded cloak around the form of a man. It walked with no hurry or urgency, but it covered a sinister amount of distance with each stride. It stopped, just at the beginning of the field of Keyblades, and looked at Sora, even though Sora couldn't see its face._

_Sora felt a wave of horror and revulsion he couldn't explain wash over him. He had seen those that willingly gave themselves up to darkness…fought the Heartless…but this…thing…_

_It was an evil that left all he'd seen in the dust. _

_It took a step forward, and the ground beneath Sora's feet writhed as though in pain. Sora turned and ran. _

_He felt the creature pursue him…it was gaining…gaining…_

_Suddenly Sora tripped. The sun shone down into his eyes…but was then blocked out. Sora saw his assailant standing over him. It reached up, not taking its invisible gaze from Sora's face, and began to lower its hood._

Sora never saw the face of the being that had attacked him; as it began to lower it, he awoke, screaming, covered in cold sweat. He felt his forehead. He was still breathing heavily.

"Just…just a dream…" He said to himself.

_Iramaul stood, looking at various screens. Sora's nightmare played out across their surface. The man in red stood behind him. _

_"Why are you looking through his dreams?"_

_"It is there I may learn much about our young adversary…" Iramaul replied. He pointed to one of the previous dreams, now shown on one of the farthest screens from him. "Tell me…do you notice anything odd about how this dream ended?"_

_"It was just a fairly sudden transition…"_

_"Not quite. Look in the corner of each screen…there's something that's always there, even when Sora isn't looking that direction anymore._

_The man looked. There was a steadily growing void in the dreams…a ragged edge._

_"Sora's nightmare was no accident. Some**thing** forced its way in…I want to know why."_


	11. Searching For Meaning

Thank you, everyone, for your kind reviews. I hope to be able to clarify your questions within the next few chapters. Enjoy! 

**Chapter 11**

The next day, Sora was walking through the streets with Riku, looking for supplies before going to check on the worlds. He'd told Riku, Donald, and Goofy about his dream, but nobody could find any possible meaning to it. Something occurred to Sora.

"Hey, Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Back at…Traverse Town…you identified that thing that destroyed it. How did you know what that was? I'd never seen or heard of anything like it?"

Riku walked on in silence for a moment.

"…DiZ…No, Ansem the Wise…he had been studying the Guardian Forces…he let me see his research." Riku looked up at the sky.

"He had come to the hypothesis that the Guardian Forces were protectors of the worlds, but the darkness that has been running rampant since Xehanort's experiments began drained their power…made them flee for their own protection."

"So…how could someone associated with the Darkness call on one?"

"Ansem had come to the conclusion there was a very powerful world somewhere in our galaxy that the Guardian Forces would retreat to and await a time when they could safely emerge…until then, they'd remain dormant. However, Ansem believed that Xehanort and the Organization wanted to find this world and take the summoning gems held on it…then they could make the Guardian Forces do their bidding."

"So…there's more than one? But that means that they could destroy the whole system if they wanted to!" Sora said, alarmed by this revelation.

"No…that one was Eden…it's the second most powerful Guardian Force, and one of three that can destroy worlds…the other documented Guardian Force that could destroy a planet is ARK, the Guardian Force of Darkness."

"What's the strongest one?" Sora asked, worried that there could be something more powerful than "Eden" at Iramaul's disposal. To his surprise, Riku shrugged.

"We don't know…it's been dormant almost since the beginning of recorded history, as far as we know…The last time someone could call to it at will was the First Keyblade Master…since then, it's rumored to have appeared once, and only briefly…" Riku shook his head. "Ansem said that that one was so powerful that the Gem used to summon it shattered. There's no way Iramaul could have it under his control."

The two friends walked on in silence, picking up supplies they'd need.

Iramaul walked through the darkened halls of his castle. He was surprised when he saw Kuja step into his path.

"Kuja? Why are you here? I thought you disliked staying here…" Iramaul said. He noticed that Kuja's eyes had narrowed…he was angry.

"Iramaul. If our deal is going to hold up, I'm going to have to be assured that I can trust you. At the moment, I am less than confident of that."

"What? I'm afraid I don't follow…" Iramaul said. Kuja glared at him.

"I don't like being _lied_ to, Iramaul, and I think that that's exactly what's been happening. We had a deal. I notice that you're starting to take liberties that we covered very carefully before I came here the first time…not to mention, you still haven't delivered on the more important part of your side of the bargain."

"I have more important things to do at the moment, Kuja. We'll discuss this later." Iramaul attempted to walk past, but Kuja got in the way.

"You said that if I helped you, you'd help me find where Gaia is. It still hasn't reappeared, even thought Kingdom Hearts was compromised _twice._ I think that this may be no accident."

"What?"

"I think that _someone_ is deliberately hiding Gaia from me and Zidane and his friends…and _I think that YOU'RE in on it!_" Kuja growled.

"You wound me, Kuja. I've been more than fair so far…have I given you any reason to doubt my goodwill? I told you I'd deliver your planet back to you and your brother unharmed…once I find it. It was somehow moved in space…making it difficult to home in on. Rest assured, once our account is settled, you can go back to your brother and take him home…or find out where the rest of his friends went." Kuja looked suspicious, but eventually relented.

"You win, Iramaul. I'll play along…but you had better not be lying." He said, walking away.

Iramaul proceeded to the outskirts of the castle. There, a knight in black and silver armor stood.

"You're here…I was beginning to think this was a trap…" The man in armor said, his voice a low, deep growl.

"Just settling some business with one of my associates. Now…why have you come here?"

"My men and I have traveled a very long way. Our mission is almost completed, but we need the help of someone with a large amount of resources and knowledge of the system…we would like to work with your group for a brief time."

"What is this mission of yours? Who exactly are you?"

"We are Chasers; distributors of our King's Justice, and the pursuers of Rouge Keys. I come here with a warrant," The knight replied, pulling out a small scroll, "Demanding the arrest or execution of the Traitor Riku, and the Heretic that calls himself…Sora."


	12. Light and Darkness

**Chapter 12**

Sora and Riku ventured into a deep, dark part of Radiant Gardens. They were checking to make sure there were no Heartless to attack the town while they were gone. They were surprised to see that there were ruins of a town on the opposite side of the world. The buildings had once been very similar to the ones back in the populated part of the world, but they had been covered in moss and fallen into decay. Several mournful-looking birds were the only signs of life.

"Another town?" Sora asked, surprised. Riku nodded.

"When Ansem's father ruled this world, it had many more towns…several natural disasters rendered this part of the world uninhabitable." Sora looked at the ruined buildings…there were horrific gouges many of them. It must have been no small disaster that wreaked its havoc here…

Riku looked around, and suddenly went very still. He listened for a second, and his eyes narrowed.

"Sora…do you hear something?"

Sora closed his eyes and listened in the stillness.

_Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank…_

There was the sound of many armored feet approaching. Sora and Riku's Keyblades were in their hands in an instant. As this was completed, the noise drew to a halt. Sora looked up and gasped.

There were hundreds of armored people standing on the rooftops. They had a distinctly military appearance; their armor was a carbon-copy mixture of silver and black, and their helmets were largely shaped in a way that put Sora in mind of a dragon's skull. On their chest plates there was a symbol; after squinting for a moment, Sora saw it was a silver crown beset by black thorns. They appeared to be…waiting?

Several heavy steps were heard, and another knight strode into view. Unlike the other knights, who primarily had black armor with silver lining, his was reversed; also, the crown on his chest was golden, but still ensnared in black thorns. This decoration and the way this newcomer carried himself showed this was the leader of the group. He looked down on Sora and Riku. It was a moment before he spoke.

"Riku." His voice was an extremely deep growl. "I am here to bring you to justice."

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Riku shouted.

"I don't need to answer traitors. Throw down your sword, Riku, and you will be spared…don't waste any more of your time in the company of heretics such as _him._" The man said, pointing at Sora.

"Heretic? What's going on?" Sora shouted. This man was making no sense!"

"Silence, boy!" The man barked. "I possess a warrant, signed by our king, for you and your friend's arrest…and if you resist…your execution." His gaze, though hidden by his visor, bored into Sora, filled with contempt.

"Riku…this is your last chance…surrender yourself to our King's justice…don't make us kill you, as we must kill this boy." Sora and Riku immediately entered their stances.

"I don't know who you are, but you're not taking us without a fight!" Sora shouted.

The man seemed grimly amused.

"So you have chosen death…very well. Let justice be done." A Keyblade suddenly appeared in the man's hands. Sora was shocked, and his surprise doubled when he realized it was the Fenrir Keyblade; one that should only be in his possession! Sora soon saw the phalanx of knights summon their own keyblades. Sora and Riku were hopelessly outnumbered…

"Kill them both." The man commanded, and a knight jumped down from the roof, wielding his keyblade.

Sora raised a defense, remembering the last keyblade wielder that had attacked him, but once again, the blow he prepared for never came.

There was a noise like a windmill blade striking a piece of fruit, and the knight fell back, a keyblade protruding from his torso. A knight appeared as if from nowhere, and wrenched it out of the body. Sora and Riku were shocked to find that suddenly a large number of knights stood around them, looking up at the knights on the rooftops.

These knights were different, though…their armor wasn't uniform, and it was in far poorer condition. They were all fairly dust-covered, but they did have a uniting symbol on various differing parts of their armor; an angel and demon wing wrapping itself around a heart. The one that had killed the man was wearing a strange helmet with two horn or ear-like protrusions, and dusty silver and brown armor. He was also wearing a beige cape. He was staring up at the leader of the other group. The man on the rooftop stared back.

"I knew it was a matter of time before you showed yourselves, traitors." He said. However, his voice wasn't full of hate, as Sora had suspected it would be…it sounded…pitying? The man began to speak again, spreading his arms.

"I wish to give you one last chance to save yourselves…I beg of you, break your ties with the powers of darkness! Come back to us! Return to the light!" He cried. "Surrender to us now, and we will intervene with the King on your behalf…please, give yourselves up to justice…" He lowered his hands. "What say you?"

There was a grim silence in the ranks around Sora and Riku. The knight in front of them continued staring up at the man in silver. His words came slowly, and his voice was deep and gravelly.

"I don't know anymore what light and darkness are…or if Justice and Villainy are merely words in the age we live in…" His fists clenched, and he pointed at the man.

"But if light and justice are what **_YOU_** represent, I will _gladly_ live and die in darkness before I yield to you!" The silence that followed was grim. The man on the rooftop shook his head.

"Then this is your answer?"

"Nothing you or your King can say or do can change my mind."

"As always…you disappoint me." The man said, shaking his head. One of his arms began to glow. "If you will not accept the light…I must destroy your darkness." He pointed at the knights, Sora, and Riku.

"HOLY!" A great light sprang from his hands, and converged on the group. All of the knights raised their hands.

"DARK SHIELD!" A great barrier of dark energy deflected the blast, but the black legions began to charge.

"Sir, we have to get out of here! They outnumber us ten to one!" One of the knights shouted.

"Retreat!" The leader shouted, and opened a corridor of darkness. Two knights began pressing Sora and Riku into it.

"Hold on! What's going on?" Sora shouted.

"I wish there was time to explain, but there isn't. You have to go! We'll be able to meet again soon!"

"But who are you?" The man looked at them for a moment.

"Chasers." With that word, he pushed them into the corridor and disappeared.

Sora awoke a few minutes later back in Merlin's house, Donald and Goofy standing over him.

"Sora! You're awake!" Donald exclaimed as he got up. "What happened to you?"

"Uh…" Sora shook his head to clear it. "We were attacked…is everyone okay?"

"Yup. They didn't show up here." Goofy replied.

Sora stared into space, lost in thought. Those people had had Keyblades…and they seemed to know something about Riku, and about him, that was the cause of some sort of conflict…

But what?

The man in silver armor stood in the ruined town, looking at the stars. One of his soldiers walked up to him nervously.

_"Commander…what do we do now?"_

_"Now? Now is the time in which we wait for our next chance to strike with impunity." The Commander responded, not looking at the soldier. "We have the powers of light and destiny itself on our side…and it's begun already." _

_"…What's begun, Sir?"_

_"Birth Through Sleep."_


	13. Nighmares rising

**Chapter 13**

_Sora was in the wasteland again. He walked across it, trying to avoid the dark specks he knew to be the keyblade field…_

_He was beginning to realize there was no end to this god-forsaken wasteland. The entire world was an arid destert._

_**Sooooraaa…**_

_Sora, startled, looked around. There had been no voice, but something was speaking right into his mind._

Sora… 

_"Get out of my head!" Sora shouted to the empty world. He suddenly saw something appear once again on the horizon._

_It was his enemy from before._

_**Sora…**_

_"What do you WANT from me? WHO ARE YOU?" Sora screamed at the figure, beginning to run from it._

_**I? I am your antagonist. I want to see you suffer, Sora.**_

_It began running after Sora. Rather than the slow chases Sora had endured before, it now gained an insane amount of distance with each of its strides. In a matter of moments, it was practically on top of Sora. _

_Sora turned around into an uppercut like an exploding bomb. He sailed back several feet, but his assailant caught him and punted him further and further towards the field. _

_It was not a balanced fight. Sora was savagely beaten by his enemy. It finally put its foot on his throat._

_"Why…why are you doing this?" Sora gasped._

_**It's my fate. I'm going to kill you, Sora. You are the cause of Birth Through Sleep.**_

_"What the hell is that? I've never even heard of this!" Sora said, every breath a struggle._

_**Birth Through Sleep. You know the power of memories. Dreams are as strong, if not stronger…and so your nightmares, and the nightmares of the worlds give birth to the chaos that is to come.**_

_"Please…stop…" _

_**I am your nightmare, Sora. I am your invincible enemy, and the tormentor that will loom in your every waking moment. **_

_"No…" Sora suddenly grabbed the armored boot on his throat. "NO!" _

_Sora got up, and summoning the Keyblade, rushed at his enemy. _

_His attack was cut short when the apparition wrenched the keyblade from his hands and stabbed him._

_Sora never saw the weapon going through his torso. He looked up at his enemy, beginning to choke on his blood. His attacker leaned down to Sora's level._

_**When your Birth Through Sleep comes to pass…I will come. And I will bear for you the gift of death.** _

The creature lowered its hood.

Sora awoke, a strangled gasp escaping him. He realized that he'd thrown up blood onto his sheets. He moved into a cross-legged position, still breathing heavily.

"What's happening to me?" He asked himself quietly.

He thought he saw his enemy standing in the room, but he soon realized it was just a shadow cast by the moonlight.

The next day, Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy packed up the Highwind. As Riku had said, they should probably check on all the worlds and make sure everyone was OK.

The first stop would be Olympus Coliseum; Hercules' home. Sora had heard that Herc's revived strength had allowed him to rebuild the coliseum in record time. Still…Hades was always around the corner, and if there were people that could control heartless about, that meant he might be tempted to try something…

At that moment, in fact, the Lord of the Dead was entertaining two guests; the short man in a navy blue cloak, and a tall person, standing in a deep shadow.

"Okay. So…who are you guys?" The god asked, smoothing back the blue flame of his hair.

"We're representatives of the Remnant. I believe that you recall when I came here earlier?" The man in blue said. Hades thought for a moment.

"Oh yeah…you said if you came back, it meant that you had a deal for me…you said it was an offer I couldn't refuse?"

"I certainly hope that will be the case. We would appreciate your help in our move to bring the worlds under our dominion. However…I come here for a more short term bargain."

"I'm listening." Hades said, drumming his fingers on his throne's arm rests.

"I will need to 'borrow' one of your prisoners…" The man said. "In return for your aid and this little bit of help…we'll kill Hercules for you."

Hades was not known for his poker face; even if he'd been able to keep a straight face, the burst of blue flame let the man know he now had the god's full attention.

"You sure you can do that? I mean, he's taken just about everything I could throw at him…" The man in blue chuckled lightly.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that…once he meets Titan here, you'll never have to worry about Hercules again." The man standing in the shadows walked out into the light. He was extremely tall and wide, and covered head to toe in armor that seemed to be carved stone. There was a large, glowing yellow eye in his helmet, but his face wasn't visible. The man called Titan cracked his knuckles. It was not a pleasant sound.

Hades was visibly impressed. "Okay. You got yourself a deal." He said, offering his hand to both of them. The two men shook it. The man in blue nodded to Titan, who turned and strode out of the Underworld.

"He'll probably be back soon…now…we have business to discuss." The man said.

_Kairi's eyes slowly fluttered open. She sat up on her bed, and looked around the strange room she found herself in._

"Where...am I?",


	14. Titanic Clash

**Chapter 14**

Sora and the others landed on the world. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…that was good. The group reached the Coliseum without meeting any Heartless.

They were surprised to find that Hercules wasn't there. After a cursory glance about, they went in to ask Phil if everything was okay.

The goat-man ran up to them when they entered.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy! Did you guys see Herc anywhere?" He asked, obviously worried.

"No…he's not here? Then were is he?" Sora asked, surprised. Phil shook his head.

"I don't know…some guy showed up out of nowhere and challenged him to a fight outside the Coliseum…I told him the guy was trouble, but the kid went out and hasn't come back…I'm getting worried…that guy was BIG, and I got this weird feeling in my gut when he came in…I think Herc's in trouble." Phil replied.

Sora thought quickly. This person…he might have connections with Hades or the Remnant, and that meant it was unlikely he had Hercules's best interests in mind…

"We'll find him, Phil. Don't worry." Sora reassured Phil. The group walked out, and saw a dark cloud on the horizon. They quickly rushed over.

The cloud was hovering over a stadium that seemed to be made out of carved black marble. As they ran up, Hercules sailed past. He hit the ground with considerable force. Sora helped the hero up.

"Herc! What happened?" It took a moment for Hercules to focus in on Sora. It was obvious from the wounds on his face and body he'd been savagely attacked.

"…Sora…watch out…that man is dangerous…" He panted, pointing at his assailant. Sora turned and saw the man still standing in the ring.

He could be accurately described as "Mountainous." His armor was dark, spiky stone, and he stood practically twice Sora's height and three times his width. The man's face, like many of the people Sora had encountered recently, was hidden in the shadows of his helm. A pair of glowing yellow eyes could be made out. Sora's eyes traveled to the massive mace the man held in his hand.

"Who are you?" Sora asked, caught off guard by the man's appearance. The man turned to see Sora better. It was like watching a mountain landslide.

"I am called Titan. I have business with that man. Step aside, boy." The man rumbled. Sora and Riku stepped up.

"You want to attack Hercules, you've got to go through US!" Sora growled. The man cracked his neck, and the popping made Donald and Goofy wince. The man held up a fist full of unusual gems.

"Know what these are? These are the true Summoning Gems…they leave those charms you carry in the dust. With the power locked in here…I could destroy you with a wave of my hand." Sora tensed, but was surprised as the man tossed them aside.

"I will not use them to fight you, as I did not use them to fight your friend. I have my honor, and will not claim such an underhanded advantage. I will fight you with only my mace and my fists." Titan took on a fighting stance. Sora rushed forward without warning, bringing Oathkeeper crashing down on the man's armor.

It bounced off without leaving a scratch. A fist the size of a grapefruit, wrapped in hard, sharp stone, crashed into Sora's face. As Sora reeled, the monstrous mace swung into his stomach.

"Pathetic, _WHELP._ How did you come this far if you're so weak?" Titan spat. Riku leapt in, Way to the Dawn flashing.

Unfortunately, this met with similar failure. Titan smashed Riku aside.

_Ugh…no wonder he didn't think twice about tossing aside those summon gems…he doesn't even need weapons…that armor's too tough!_ Sora thought, as he hit the ground hard.

Donald and Goofy attempted to rush in to help, but Titan met them with another swing of his mace and sent them flying.

"The mighty Keyblade Master and his cadre…I expected more from you." Titan said, shaking his head.

As Sora struggled to his feet, Hercules suddenly barreled out of nowhere and caught Titan in the stomach with his fist. While Titan reeled back, the wind knocked out of him, Hercules was unable to press the advantage he'd gained, shaking out his hand from the many small scratches it had acquired on its collision with Titan's armor.

Titan, however, was none the worse for the blow he'd taken, and dealt a savage punch to Herc's face. The hero collapsed from the force of it.

"You're strong, Hercules…and your heart would have been snatched up by a Heartless as a coveted meal long ago had it not been for that strength. But as it is, your heart and body are not strong enough to stand against me." Titan said, walking over to where Herc lay. He hefted his mace grimly.

"I bear you no ill will, but business is business. We have a deal with Hades, and that means you have to die." Titan said, lifting his weapon for a deathblow.

Sora's mind raced. If he didn't find a way to stop Titan now, Herc would die!

He suddenly realized that one of the summoning gems Titan had casually dropped was within arm's reach.

Not thinking about what it might be, Sora desperately grabbed it, gaining some hope when it dazzled with light.

"Whoever you are, give me strength!" Sora cried. The light suddenly formed into a wolf.

Titan turned suddenly.

"Fenrir?" The wolf growled, and Titan suddenly looked down at the ground beneath him.

"Oh—" Titan managed to get out. It's unknown what he was about to say next, but it was a safe bet it wasn't "Bother" or "Dear." He didn't get to finish his sentence, as the ground suddenly transformed into an enormous arm, launching him into the air with an impressive terrestrial punch.

Sora gingerly let go of the gem as he lost sight of the huge man. Fenrir faded.

However, Titan crashed back to earth, and got up, dusting himself off uncaringly.

"You won't get far using Earth attacks against me, kid, but I have to admit, you're more inventive than I thought." He picked Sora up by the wrist. He shook his head.

"I can toss aside my summoning gems, I could even put away my mace and armor…it doesn't seem that anything I could do could possibly make this a fair fight."

"What do you lot care about 'fair'?" Sora spat at the man holding him up. "You will stop at nothing to win! And you're trying to get rid of me no matter what that means you have to do!"

"Child, I gain no satisfaction from this. I merely do my duty as a member of the Remnant. I could have begun our bout by paralyzing you with magic and snapped your frail little spines like twigs. But I want you to die with a sword in your hands." Titan tossed Sora to the ground. "That way, I can't walk away thinking I didn't give you a chance to defend yourselves."

Sora got up.

"I don't care what you think…if you try to hurt my friends…I'll stop you." He panted.

Titan chuckled.

"Well said." He suddenly moved with a speed that didn't match his size, smacking the Keyblade from Sora's hands and bringing his knee into the boy's stomach. Sora fell back, and saw the sun blocked out as Titan raised his mace.

"So long, kid." Titan said, and the mace descended like a meteor.


	15. Tightening the noose

**Chapter 15**

Sora was barely able to roll aside in time, and unable to hold in a gasp when the shrapnel kicked up by the impact of the mace tore into his back.

"Quick…but not quick enough." Titan said, bringing up his mace again.

Without warning, a vial full of a strange yellow potion flew out of nowhere, shattering against Titan's armor. Titan reeled back, his yellow eyes widening has he felt at the splashed area.

"A Soft potion!" He roared, clearly dismayed.

_SORA! That potion weakens rock! You have to attack him now, before his armor hardens again!_ Roxas shouted inside Sora's head.

Sora got up uneasily…He wouldn't be able to strike Titan down as he was right now…but…

"Donald! Goofy! Riku! GIVE ME STRENGTH!" He shouted, as the powers of his outfit activated for the first time since he'd defeated Organization XIII.

All three of his stunned friends vanished in a burst of light. Sora floated into the air, his clothing turning silver and black. An unseen wind held him aloft, and Oathkeeper floated out of his hand to hover behind his back, joined now by another keyblade. This one was mostly an azure hue, and resembled a crystalline feather. It was the Ultima Weapon. This was undoubtedly Sora's mightiest incarnation for the keyblade, but he used Oathkeeper out of personal prefrence. He now let both Keyblades float behind him, and turned to face Titan.

"Oh no…what a pain. I'd forgotten about that form…" Titan growled, and rushed at Sora.

Sora used his mind, and unleashed a blinding counteroffensive at Titan. Oathkeeper easily parried his attack, and the Ultima Weapon struck in the area the potion had splashed. As Titan staggered back, Sora struck faster than the eye could follow again and again, finally taking a hold of both Keyblades.

"ARS ARCANUM!" Both swords exploded with a golden radiance as Sora struck at Titan's weakened armor again and again. Finally, Sora finished his attack, and landed in his normal clothing, holding only Oathkeeper. His friends walked out of nowhere, ready to fight.

Titan got up, breathing heavily.

"You've certainly…earned your reputation…runt…but we'll have to settle this later." Titan grabbed his summoning gems and punched the ground, vanishing in a cloud of dust.

Sora barely avoided falling to the ground. He was exhausted.

"Should we go after him, Sora? He probably went to the Underworld." Riku asked.

"We should first get Hercules back home…he needs to rest up…so do we, I think…" Sora groaned in reply.

The haggard group made their way back to the main coliseum.

Elsewhere, in the Underworld… 

The man that had accompanied Titan had been watching the fight through an odd basin of water Hades sometimes used to spy on his enemies. He'd opened the midnight-blue traveling cloak he'd been wearing, but kept the hood on. Under the cloak, he was actually dressed in a businesslike black suit. Had he thrown off the cloak and put on a tie, he might have looked more like a businessman than anything else.

There was suddenly a burst of dark energy behind him, and another person walked out of the black smoke.

This one was wearing a nondescript grey coat, also containing a smaller hood than the other man's cloak. The coat had a pair of long sleeves, ragged at the ends, which covered the newcomer's hands. A huge scarf obscured the lower half of his face, while all that could be made out above his nose were a pair of glinting spectacles and a few bandages.

Under the coat, he was wearing a large number of belts, each holding several different kinds of potion. The man looked very out of place in the Underworld; it was likely he looked out of place anywhere but some decayed, dark laboratory.

The first man looked away from the basin, briefly surprised.

"Oh, it's just you. What are you doing here, Faust? I wasn't expecting you to leave your little dungeon."

"Iramaul sent me to check on your progress. What have you accomplished so far?" Faust's voice was cultured and indicated he was older than his companion. He spoke in a rather disinterested semi-monotone.

"Titan has already engaged the Key Bearer. He'll be here shortly."

"He _lost_?"

"We underestimated Sora…and he had help."

"…The Nobodies again?" Faust growled.

"There's at least one trailing Sora at all times…he hit Titan with a Soft potion to weaken his armor. If that hadn't happened, Titan would have had to just leave after knocking them all out to avoid killing the group. He's vastly beyond them in hand-to-hand combat."

"Why didn't you just have Hades send some dead warrior after them?" Faust asked, cocking his head.

"Simple. We're under orders to throw the battle if it's clear that Sora can't win. However…Titan doesn't follow plans or politics while in combat. I wanted to see how Sora did when his opponent wasn't pulling his punches." The cloaked man replied.

"Ah. Researching your foe…very good."

"Faust, Iramaul is not fond of wasting time. He wouldn't have just sent you to check how I've started my strategy for this world. Why ELSE are you here?"

"Friendly warning. "Typhon" and "Senku" will probably be here shortly." Faust pronounced the names with distaste. The cloaked man's head snapped up, clearly alarmed.

"WHAT? This is MY assignment! Why is he sending THOSE two here?"

"Iramaul's a cautious fellow. He's not taking any chances with Sora."

"I don't trust Typhon. He's a liability in my tactics."

"Don't screw this up, and they'll just watch. Iramaul just said that you needed backup. Now, if you'll excuse me…I have to go back to "my little dungeon." I'll await your report."

And with that, Faust vanished. Titan walked up. He noticed his partner's dismay.

"What? What happened?" He asked.

"Faust came…Typhon and Senku are on their way here." Titan also groaned in irritation.

"Iramaul's not being patient. It's going to get someone killed one of these days! Typhon can't follow orders to save his life! Why would he send THEM?"

"I don't know…but we can't screw up. There's no margin of error for us."

Olympus Coliseum 

Phil helped Hercules off to his room to lie down. The goat man ran back to Sora and the others.

"What happened? It looks like that big guy did a real number on Herc!"

"I think he was with the Remnant…we're fighting them. We're going to go see if Hades is in on this…" Sora said, and the group headed for the Underworld entrance.

Underworld 

Hades was obviously agitated.

"So…not only did you guys not manage to kill Hercules, but the brat and his pals are coming DOWN HERE to pick a fight with me?" He said, his tone dangerous. The cloaked man held up his hands in a calming gesture.

"Don't get agitated, Hades. Titan was merely there to _weaken_ Hercules, Sora, and the others. Now that the "Hero" is resting to recover, it is no trouble at all for a Shadow or some such Heartless to enter his room…and with his strength gone, Hercules is nothing but a beacon for every Heartless on this planet. We'll have the prisoner I resurrected deal with Sora. Then we'll keep our bargain."

The man waved a hand, and a very tall, human shape rose out of the river of death.

"Go. Kill the intruders." The dark shape nodded, and trudged off, its movements jerky, like something without a soul to guide it.

Hades watched the prisoner go curiously.

"Hey, that thing he's holding…I've seen one of those before. Wait, isn't that—"

"Very good, Lord Hades. You've figured that out quite fast. Sora will not be pleased to meet that person when he enters the underworld…and once that's done, Sora won't be bothering us."

"Then Jerkules is toast?"

"Your hated enemy is a few moments away from being a meal…and then a memory."

Hades started chuckling.

"I gotta hand it to you guys…you've made my day. Let the games…BEGIN!"


	16. VIII

**Chapter 16**

After getting some rest, Sora and his friends entered the underworld.

As before, it was a dark, damp cavern. Balls of mist accumulated over the unnatural rivers that ran through it. Sora, luckily, had thought ahead, bringing the Olympus Stone to ward against the curse upon this place…

The caverns were surprisingly quiet. Sora expected Heartless to assault them, but none came. He looked around.

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't there be any Heartless?" He asked, relaxing his guard.

He suddenly heard a rushing of air. It was the only warning he had before a tall man barreled headlong into him, flinging him to the ground.

The man had dark, spikey hair, and pale skin of a barely revived human. He wore the tattered remains of a black uniform of some type. Sora skidded along the ground, drawing Oathkeeper.

"Who are you?"

"…" The man rushed Sora quickly, catching him with a barrage of punches, followed by a knee to the stomach. Riku ran up, but the man pulled out a weapon, and easily parried the move. Sora and his friends gathered together, and Sora suddenly noticed the man's weapon.

"What? But that's—"

In his chamber, Hades turned to the hooded man.

"Who is that guy you brought back, anyway? Why's he got a sword like the stiff I hired?"

"He was a member of an group called SOLDIER…a First-Class, I may add…he's just called…Zack." The man chuckled. "The man knew Cloud…the similarities between their fighting will throw off Sora's abilities…"

Back in the Atrium, Sora focused again.

"Speak! Why are you carrying Cloud's old sword?"

"…" The man simply attacked once again.

The warrior's movements were jerky and soulless, but his strength and speed were undeniable. Sora was hard pressed to get in an attack. The man suddenly changed stance, and leapt through the air, knocking all four of them back.

"Damn! He's too tough…" Riku panted. Goofy suddenly brighted.

"I got an idea, fellas!" He said. The other three listened to his plan. They all nodded.

"Riku! Donald! GO!" Sora shouted, jumping at the man and being hit back by the enormous sword he carried. Riku and Donald both opened up with torrents of Fire magic. The man staggered back, but Goofy suddenly threw Save the King with all his might. Sora landed on the shield, and spinning with the weapon, was inside the man's guard in an instant.

"ARS ARCANUM!" He shouted, pummeling the man with his keyblade. As the man flew back, Riku jumped behind him, and slashed him forward into Donald, who hit him over the head with Save the Queen. The man took several discombobulated steps, and then fell to the ground.

To their surprise, he got back up, but now a healthy pallor diffused in his skin. His eyes, previously a blank white, returned to a clearer blue. He shook his head, a puzzled look on his face.

"What've I been doing? Where am I?" He said, confused. Sora walked over to him, and helped him up.

"Who are you?" He asked the man.

"My name's Zack…you?" Zack groaned, holding his head. "Ah, my achin' head…"

Donald sheepishly attempted to hide Save the Queen behind his back.

"I'm Sora. That guy is Riku, and this is Donald and Goofy. Uh…Mr. Zack…I have do ask. Do you know someone named Cloud?"

Zack looked up at the mention of Cloud, recognition in his face.

"Cloud? Yeah, I knew him. He was a friend of mine. You've met him?"

"Yes…he's doing well. I guessed that you might know him because of your sword…" Sora said. Zack stood up shakily.

"It's nice to meet ya, Sora. But…why am I here? I'm…dead…aren't I?"

"This is the Underworld. The god here, Hades, probably brought you back to life to fight us…" Sora explained.

"Huh…Then I have a few things to discuss with this guy…here, I'll help you four out. You could probably use another guy in a creepy place like this, right?"

Sora nodded, and the five set out.

In his main chamber, Hades headed for the exit.

"Where are you going, Hades?"

"I'm thinking your operation's going downhill. I'm going to work on my alibi…walking the dog the whole time and all that. Gotta go now, bye!" Hades said, vanishing. The hooded man watched the five heroes dispatching his Heartless…

"Sora…You're getting to be a real pain with our operations…" He suddenly felt someone behind him, and whirled around to see the man in red leaning in the corner, watching him.

"You really screwed this one up, didn't ya, Thoth?" The man in red asked, walking forward. There was a pair of brief yellow gleams in the shadows of his hood as he passed from the shadows into the light.

"Typhon…" Thoth said fearfully.

"Iramaul's not too happy with this, Thoth. He's turning this over to me. You can go back and get to work on your paperwork with Faust."

"…What do you intend to do?"

"Well, you screwed up any chance we have of taking this world THIS time around, so I'm just gonna have a frank exchange of ideas with Sora before I go."

Thoth began to say something, but finally growled and vanished. Typhon snickered lightly.

"Ah, Thoth. You always go to pieces when things aren't just so. You really gotta relax…" He leaned out. "C'mon, Sora. I want to see how good you _really _are."

Sora and the others entered another wide space. The ground suddenly began rumbling. As Sora dodged a falling rock, Cerberus burst into the room, all three heads snarling.

Hades smirked evilly and walked off.

"Walking the dog…what's that, Zeus? Your son's dead and his pals are missing? Nope, can't help you there…" He said under his breath.

Sora got ready to fight Cerberus, but Zack suddenly jumped in front of him.

"Sora! You four have to go on ahead! I'll catch up after I deal with Fido here!"

"We can beat him together!" Sora shouted, but Zack shoved him towards the door.

"GO! You've got to get at the people behind this, right?" Sora finally nodded, and they ran ahead.

"We'll be back for you, Zack! Hold on!"

However, as the doors closed, Cerberus's left head suddenly noticed something. All three heads looked frightened, and he massive black dog suddenly turned and loped off. Zack now turned to the thing he'd noticed before; a person dressed all in black, sitting atop a jet black motorbike adorned with razor sharp silver blades and spikes.

"I'm an open minded guy, but I can't stand people that watch carnage to kill the survivors." He said angrily, taking his stance. The biker simply flipped the soldier off with both hands, and gunned the engine of the bike.

"Bring it." Zack growled.

As Sora and Riku led the way into the main room, falling rocks suddenly blocked off the doors. Sora turned back just as the last frock barred Donald and Goofy from entering. Riku suddenly drew Way to the Dawn.

"Come out. I can smell you." He growled. Sora turned in time to see the man in red he'd met before drop down.

"Really? Shoot, I _KNEW_ I'd worn too much cologne today…" He said sarcastically. Sora got ready to fight. The main raised his hands.

"Eh. Diplomacy IS dead, huh? Suits me!" A pair of metal tonfas suddenly appeared in his hands. The man threw off his red cloak. Sora saw that the man was wearing some sort of gas mask. His head was lost under a black dome, and his eyes were hidden behind gold glass. He was also wearing fairly light armor, many parts of which had tubes full of some sort of liquid connected to other sections.

"Let's light this candle!" The man shouted, pointing his tonfa at Sora and Riku. "FIRAGUN!"

Sora was blasted back by the infernal bullet the tonfa's tip fired. Riku was able to roll out of the way and charge in. His enemy dodged his keyblade with contemptuous ease, and began savagely striking Riku with his tonfas once more, finally kicking him in the face. Sora charged, but was parried and received several bone-cracking blows to his chest and legs.

The fight dragged on. Sora was beginning to realize his opponent was a lot better than him, and he fought with fire and those weapons with stunning effectiveness. Finally, Riku lunged at him, and the man dropped down low, bringing up his weapon into Riku's stomach, lifting him into the air. Riku went limp on his fist.

"One down—" The man said, turning to Sora. Sora, however, didn't wait for the man to finish.

"SONIC SLASH!" He shouted, shooting forward in a flash of purple light. He hit the man in the chest, and knocked him back. The man got up to his knees, disoriented.

"What a goddamn pain…I'd forgotten you could—"

"ARS ARCANUM!" Sora shouted, bringing his sword into the man's head and upper body again and again. His final strike was replied to with a powerful punch to the face. The man got up, and Sora saw his mask fragmenting.

"Damn kid…you've thrown all this off…" Suddenly the mask broke. As Sora began to rush forward, he suddenly got a full glimpse of his attacker's face.

"No…no, it can't be…" He gasped.

The man in front of him was Axel.

There were changes in him, but his face was unmistakable. But for some reason…Axel looked different.

Gone were the tattoos under his eyes. Now the only mark on his face was a long, thin scar that started above his left eye and finished just beneath his right. Also, his hair had been dyed black at the very roots where it connected to his head, and there were three crimson spikes in front of his face that hadn't been there before. He watched Sora intently.

_It…it's not possible…_ Roxas said within Sora. Sora was frozen, trembling.

"A-Axel…" He said, numb with shock.

Axel looked genuinely taken aback by the uttering of his name. His shock, however, was slowly replaced by a sardonic smirk. He shrugged and shook his head.

"Sorry, kid, you've got the wrong guy." He began to fade into the shadows.

"My name's not Axel."

"Wait!" Sora shouted, but he was gone. Sora stood alone in the room.

"How is it possible?" He said quietly.

There was no answer.


	17. What comes from Darkness

**Chapter 17**

Sora sat in silence for a moment. Riku finally began to come to from the blow Axel had dealt him.

"Sora? What happened? Did you…beat him?" Riku asked weakly, barely standing after the blow he'd taken.

"He got away…Riku…that guy was Axel." Sora said, still not able to believe what he'd seen.

"Sora, that's impossible! Axel died before you came to the World That Never Was…Nobodies can't come back from the dead." Riku said, leaning on Way to the Dawn. "And besides…you said that Axel used an attack that killed him because he had nothing left afterwards…that meant that he couldn't even have faked it. It must have been…a look-alike." He concluded.

"But—"

"Sora, there's no time. The Remnant has already left. We should try to pick up Goofy, Donald, and Zack and get out of here." Riku said.

Their two friends were right outside.

"Sora! Riku! What happened in there?" Goofy asked worriedly.

"We met up with someone from the Remnant. He…looked exactly like Axel." Sora said. "He hurt both of us pretty bad and got away."

"Couldn't have been Axel. He wouldn't attack you. I bet it was a fake!" Donald asserted confidently. Sora nodded, still looking unconvinced.

"You're probably right. Let's go find Zack." He said.

The room they'd left Zack in was a total disaster. Riku looked around in shock at the massive slashes in the stone walls.

"Geez…it looks like a bloody war broke out in here!" He commented, looking at the damage.

The entire room seemed to be slashed apart. Deep gashes ran through the stone, and tire tracks covered many parts of the floor and walls. There were also oddly dispersed burns on some of the walls.

"Cerberus?" He asked, looking back at the others. Riku shook his head.

"There's a ton of gashes in this room, but none of them are from claws…" He looked at them.

"Whatever went on in here, every one of these were made by weapons. Zack was fighting someone with a sword or spear…and from the looks of it, a motorbike." He commented.

"A Remnant ambush, perhaps…" Sora said. He suddenly looked around, alarmed.

"But where's Zack?"

There was no trace of the soldier anywhere. Sora was worried.

"You don't suppose he…?"

"He's a spirit, Sora. He couldn't die like we can." Goofy reassured him. "I'm sure he's fine. Remember how Auron disappeared down here too?" Sora nodded reluctantly.

"Let's get out of here. We should check up on Herc." He said.

Once again, there was an eerie lack of Heartless on the way out. Finally, Sora came to the entrance, and realized something was standing in the way.

The creature was humanoid, but there were numerous clues it was no human; the creature stood about a head taller than Sora himself. It seemed to be wearing some sort of armor; its helmet was a featureless, visorless piece of grey metal that wrapped around its head, but a black Nobody Insignia was on the front, and two black horns curved out of the back. It reminded Sora of the Twilight Thorn's head. The creature's body armor was a thin grey metal with a white Heartless insignia on the front of it, and had two black, spiked shoulder pads. The creature also was wearing black armor on its arms, and its hands, an unnaturally pale white, hung limp at its sides, revealing long claws instead of fingers. The creature's legs were encased in jointed white armor, ending in a pair of massive, cruel talons. Sora picked up on an unusual feature of the creature; though there was the light of the Coliseum' entrance behind it, the thing cast no shadow.

The creature's helemet turned to face Sora and his friends. Sora heard a strange buzzing, and realized that there was a voice working constantly under it.

_Four targets acquired…keyblade x2danger advance with caution…light insignificant- unimportant to Collective…subject "SORA" identifiedsearch for Princess 7 "KAIRI" and capture immediately…subject "RIKU" identifieddanger! Prepare for combat maneuvers! Subjects "DONALD" and "GOOFY" identified…dismiss. Unimportant. Scanning area for presence of Princess 7 "KAIRI"…scan negative. Subjects' collective importance…negligible. Eliminate immediately and harvest light of KEYBEARER 1 and 2._

"Watch out, guys! I think it's going to attack!" Sora shouted, summoning Oathkeeper.

The strange creature suddenly _stretched_ like a Nobody, landing behind Sora and smashing Donald and Goofy into the floor with its hands.

_Subjects "DONALD" and "GOOFY" neutralized. Proceed with binding and harvest of KEYBEARER 2. _

The creature's head snapped towards Riku. Riku raised his hands.

"DARK FIRAGA!"

_Attack analyzed: Dark Firaga. Dodging intensity: 75 Threat level: Minimal. Initiating evasive procedures._

The creature suddenly turned black and flattened into the ground like a shadow. It rushed forward, going underneath Riku. Its pale hands rose up and grabbed his legs.

_Target acquired. Permission to Harvest? Permission…granted. Proceeding with Light Harvest and Conversion of KEYBEARER 2…_

Riku suddenly gasped.

"Cold…" He whispered, his eyes starting to dim. "Why is it…so cold?"

"RIKU!" Sora shouted in alarm. He pointed his Keyblade at the shadow at his feet.

"THUNDER!" He roared, striking the black shadow with a thunderbolt. It released its grip, springing out of the ground, now intent on Sora.

_Harvest and Conversion failed. Priority threat: KEYBEARER 1: subject "SORA". Subject's light reading: Superior. Target priority: 2nd to Princess. Harvest and Convert immediately. Emergency Harvesting Technique: Permissable. Preparing to Harvest… _

The creature stretched out its hands. All the light in the room went out. Sora looked around, seeing only a black void. The creature slammed its hands against the ground, and black and white nothingness bolts, a Nobody attack resembling thorned vines, burst out of the ground. Before Sora could move, he was bound completely. The creature's thoughts continued to bombard him as he walked closer.

_Nightmare Dimension engaged…target bound. Chances of Success: 99.9_

The creature suddenly was in front of Sora. Its arm became a black, smokey substance, and it plunged it into Sora's chest. Sora could almost _feel_ his blood freezing as the immaterial fist closed around his heart. The creature retracted its arm, and Sora's Heart floated out of his chest, hanging suspended. The creature now returned its arm to normal, and plunged its fingertips into Sora's heart.

Sora screamed in agony as the creature tore through his Heart, finally wrapping its hands around something.

Sora saw the hands leave, and realized there was a feeble light, still connected to his heart by a thread, in them. Sora's vision darkened…he saw his heart slowly turning black.

"So…cold…" He whispered, as his view of the creature began to blur.

"NOT THIS TIME, MONSTER!"

The creature began to wheel, and a sword pierced it all the way through. The creature gave an extremely high-pitched inhuman scream. Sora gasped, and the light raced back into his heart, which returned to his chest. Sora fell to the ground, breathing heavily for air. He saw someone in an Organization XIII jacket slashing at the creature. Sora could hear its thoughts fading.

_New target acquired…DANGER! Target: Nobody! Secrecy of mission compromised! Harvest failed! Retreat at once!_ The creature's thoughts were now disjointed and confused. It lunged away from the man, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Sora was having difficulty staying conscious. He tried to look up at the man's face, but fell lower, his vision blurred from pain and exhaustion.

"Sora…hold on. You're going to be OK." The man said, trying to reassure him despite the worry Sora detected in his own voice.

"Hold on." This person could help him…he didn't have to worry about the thing killing him…

Sora, overcome by the assult on his mind and body from the day's events, passed out on the floor of the Underworld's Atrium.


	18. Sanctuary

**Chapter 18**

Kairi looked around at the room she'd found herself in. It was a pale white all over, and was almost bare except for the bed she was on, and a table with chairs. A single window showed only a vast blackness outside. Kairi got up, wondering how she'd gotten here…she'd just remembered falling into a very large shadow when the man that'd tried to kidnap her dropped her. She suddenly felt a small hand tugging on hers, and she turned in surprise to see a very small figure, wearing a grey robe and hood, trying to get her attention.

"Princess! We have to go! Mother needs to talk to you!" It said, pointing at the door. Kairi was surprised at the voice. It was clear from how it sounded and its height that the small person was a very young girl.

"Wh-where are we? Who are you?" She asked, confused.

"There's no time! You have to talk to Mother!" The girl said again, scurrying over to the door and opening it. "Follow me!" She squeaked, and then walked briskly down the hallway. Kairi paused for a moment, but when the girl looked over her shoulder, followed the cloaked child.

The room, it seemed, was a part of a castle. She noticed that the doors in the corridor and all of the bricks were white.

"Why is everything white here? What is this place?" She asked her guide.

"This is the Sanctuary. Mother built it. She said it's white to remind us that this is the light that doesn't go out, no matter how strong the darkness." The girl said, a note of pride in her voice. Kairi noted that there were several more grey-cloaked children that were watching her curiously from the corridor behind them. The girl guiding her led her to a large, winding staircase. She hopped down the stairs energetically, motioning for Kairi to follow. They finally came to a very well-lit room. The girl held up her hand, stopping Kairi. She pointed at the large golden door in front of them.

"That's the Heart of Light. Mother goes in here when there's something important happening. She's seeing a guest, so we have to check before going in."

She motioned Kairi to a small hole. Kairi looked through.

The room inside was bathed in a soft radiance she couldn't see the source of. She noticed a man in an Organization XIII jacket finish pulling up his hood right before she glimpsed his face. He then bowed to someone out of view, and vanished into a dark portal.

The girl, after seeing Kairi nod, opened the door.

"Mother, I've brought her." She said respectfully, walking up to a woman in a chair.

Kairi looked at the woman her guide had called "Mother." She was wearing a simple, flowing silvery-white dress, and her hair was bone white. Kairi realized the woman's skin and hair color were that of an albino. She didn't have an albino's eyes, though…hers were an odd pale yellow. Despite her strange appearance, the woman was quite beautiful. She smiled kindly at the grey-cloaked child.

"Thank you, Sara." She said. The girl bowed, and left the room. The woman turned to Kairi.

"Are you well, Princess?" She said, concerned.

"…Yes, but I'm very confused. Why am I here? What's going on?" Kairi asked softly, sitting down in one of the other chairs.

"I'm sorry, I doubt that Sara was able to tell you much…this place is the Sanctuary. I built it as a place for castaways in the darkness. You fell into the darkness, and were brought here. We've been waiting for its effects on you to cease." The woman looked directly at Kairi. "You're also here…because it's the safest place for you to be right now."

"In the middle of the darkness? Isn't it dangerous here?" Kairi asked.

"No. There is a light in this castle…Heartless cannot find it, but I'm not entirely sure myself how it works." She pointed to the ceiling, and Kairi saw to her amazement that a radiant gem of monstrous size was embedded in the Ceiling.

"This is the Heart of Light…I know little about it, but it repels dark forces. It was once a part of the Realm of Light, but it fell into this void thousands of years ago...I merely discovered it when I fell myself. There are fragments of it still in the upper realms…the Cornerstone of Light, for example." The woman said. Kairi suddenly looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude…I forgot to ask you what your name was, and how you know who I am." She said

"There is no problem…my name is Linnia. I know you are named Kairi, because I know of all of the Princesses of Heart."

Seeing Kairi's piqued interest, Linnia went on.

"Your friends, Sora and Riku, are battling against the Heartless, and their masters, the Remnant. You know of this, correct?"

"I didn't know they were called the Remnant, but other than that, I know what you're talking about."

"You met with King Mickey, I believe…a wise fellow. Still, there is more at work here than he realizes. Things have begun to happen…more than just the Remnant's eyes rest upon Sora and Riku." Kairi's expression saddened with concern for her friends.

"Do you know something? Do you know who's behind all this?"

Linnia's expression became pained, and a shadow passed over her face. The momentary silence made Kairi extremely uncomfortable; she suspected she had said something very wrong.

"I have suspicions," Linnia said at last. "Guesses and glimpses seen in a dark and fragmented mirror. I have knowledge of some of the forces that would harm or use Sora and Riku…but there is something else at work here…something I know nothing of."

"Is that…why I should be here? Why you said I'm safe here?" Kairi asked.

"The Princesses of Heart are all in danger. I know what hunts you all too well. I have taken measures to ensure the safety of the other Princesses, but my power in the Realm of Light is failing. I too rely on Sora to do what is right, in the end…" Linnia said. Kairi felt a sense of foreboding, but pressed on.

"The way you speak of these things that hunt us…they're not the Remnant, I assume. What…are they?"

"_They are ABOMINATIONS_." Linnia said fiercely, her voice quiet but filled with hate. Kairi almost recoiled, alarmed at her reaction. Linnia didn't meet Kairi's gaze.

"Nobodies do not exist. That is a simple fact, and something they cannot help. But there are things in this life that _SHOULD NOT_ exist at all." She said, her voice still quiet and harsh. Kairi saw that Linnia was exerting herself considerably to even speak of these things, whatever they were…for some reason, although she hadn't raised her voice at all, the quiet hate in her voice frightened Kairi much more. Linnia closed her eyes.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She said, her voice still strained, but much closer to its original tone. She opened her eyes again, looking at Kairi.

"I know that my power is limited, but I do what I can. I have sent out the two defenders of this Sanctuary. One now protects Sora and Riku; he is never far from them, and shall not be in the future…the other guards the Princesses. You need not worry for your friends or fellow Princesses of Heart…I trust those two not only with my life, but with the lives of everyone here."

"Who are they? Have we met them before?" Kairi asked, recalling the man in an Organization XIII jacket she'd seen earlier in this room.

"Who are they…? That is not something that can truly be asked of them. They are castaways of the darkness, like the others here…the only difference was that they chose that life for themselves. You would not have known them." Linnia said, shaking her head. Kairi was still curious.

"But…you only mentioned two…how can one person defend all the worlds the Princesses are still on?"

"I have taken steps, as I said…my preparations are not indomitable, but they should be enough. The one standing watch over the Princesses has a long reach…I hold no doubts that he will succeed." Linnia stood, but a jolt seemed to run through her and she almost fell forward. Kairi was able to get up in time to stop the older woman from falling; she realized that Linnia's body was extremely frail…the woman did not seem healthy. Her skin was like ice…

"I'm sorry, Kairi. My strength is not what it once was…I must retire for now. We can talk further later, but for now…you may explore the Sanctuary, if you so desire." Linnia said, her voice seeming distant. Kairi, after asking several times if Linnia was sure she'd be all right, reluctantly let her stand up. Linnia began to go. Kairi recalled one final question she'd had when walking through the Sanctuary.

"Linnia…why are there so many children here?" She asked. Linnia stopped. She sighed, and Kairi detected a slightly bitter note in it.

"That is a question for Ansem the Wise, were he still alive." She said cryptically, coughing weakly a few times. She walked into a room beyond the Heart of Light. Kairi, her mind full with all she'd just learned, turned and left the room.

Linnia closed the door, and sat down, leaning heavily against it. She looked at her hand. Her skin had become paler, if only briefly.

"The cold…it's always so cold when it comes…" She whispered. She thought of the Princesses, and remembered the ever-nagging doubt she'd somehow failed. Kairi and the others did not know the full extent of their enemies' collective malice.

"Then there's the one I cannot see…that one that plays with the Remnant and Sora from a place I cannot fathom…is this all his doing?"

Linnia's trembling hands weakly gripped a small, glowing gold stone around her neck that looked like a tiny piece of the Heart of Light. The coldness in her blood lessened, and a more healthy pallor diffused her skin.

"Sora, forgive me…" She whispered. "You don't know what they will do to you given half a chance…for everyone's sake, please stop Iramaul…"


	19. The Harbinger

**Chapter 19**

A small fire burned just outside the underworld. The tall Nobody sat by it, silently watching Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy.

He'd been far too lax. Two Remnant members had come and gone without him knowing, and Sora and Riku had very nearly been taken by that _thing._ He shook his head. Stopping to heal Hercules had almost been a fatal error on his part. The Nobody sharpened his saber briefly. He looked over at Sora and Riku. Sora didn't move; his exhaustion after the ordeal he'd been through most likely prevented it. However, Riku twitched, and his fists were clenched; both boys had troubled expressions.

"These are dark days indeed when the Keybearers are no longer safe in their own dreams…" The Nobody said quietly to himself. He looked up at the sky.

"Lady Linnia…what am I to do…?"

_Riku found himself standing alone in the darkness. There was absolutely nothing else there but him._

_"Sora?" He called, his voice echoing. "Kairi?" There was no reply. _

_**It's starting.** Riku's eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice all around him. _

_"You…" He whispered._

_**The Key has been connected.** The voice went on, echoing maddeningly._

_"Wh-what are you talking about?" Riku gasped, but he already suspected he knew._

_**Tied to the Darkness…** Riku looked for the speaker, but the dark mist around him prevented any vision. Riku got the impression there was something just beyond his ability to see._

_**Soon to be completely eclipsed.** Riku suddenly saw all the worlds before him. They were tiny, practically marbles before him, but he saw all the worlds he and Sora had been to, from their island to Radiant Gardens. Riku's eyes widened as a large darkness grew on the Destiny Islands, and soon began to spread, consuming Radiant Gardens and shattering King Mickey's world. _

_"What does this MEAN?" He breathed. _

_**So much…there is so much still to learn, boy…you still know so little…** Riku's eyes hardened, and he turned around, summoning Way to the Dawn._

_"Show yourself…Xehanort." _

_**Pointless. You see nothing, hear nothing…understand nothing. You know nothing…it's already too late for any of you.**_

_Riku suddenly had to cover his eyes as the realm turned a dead, pale white…a white Riku had come to associate with Organization XIII's fortress. To his shock, he saw twelve black shapes…he realized that they were the defeated Nobodies that had formed Organization XIII, with the exception of Roxas._

_"But…they're all dead…" Riku saw that they were alive, but wounded horribly…many were in agonizing positions, propped up or impaled on their own weapons, and each skewered by many Keyblades. "They're…suffering?"_

_Riku turned slightly, and saw Sora standing before the tortured Organization, the same uncomprehending look on his face._

_"Did…I do this?" Sora said, not seeing Riku. _

_Riku stared from Sora to the Organization. It was the only reason he noticed that the shadow of one impaled on his own Scythe was moving. It suddenly stretched out, like a living thing, and raced towards Sora. Sora didn't notice it until a being made of shadows rose from the dead Nobody's shadow and stabbed Sora through the stomach with a sword. Sora's cry rang through the white void._

_"Sora!" Riku ran forward to help his friend, but he was suddenly unable to move. He watched helplessly as the other Organization members' shadows joined the first, flowing below Sora and then stabbing him again and again. Sora staggered back. _

_"Sora…" A different voice came. Sora, wouned, turned to see Roxas kneeling behind him, near dead but pinned upright by his own Keyblades. As Sora turned all the way to face Roxas, their shadows met and combined. A thirteenth shadow lunged from the combined shadow and summoned a Keyblade, stabbing Sora through the heart. _

_"No!" Riku shouted. The shadow paid him no heed, casting the dead Sora aside and raising one dark hand. The white "sky" of the void opened as if rent by massive claws. Riku watched as the dark being closed its fist, and all the stars in the sky flickered and died. The creature then turned to look directly at Riku._

_Way to the Dawn fell from Riku's hands, shattering when it hit the ground. Riku, frozen, looked into the utter darkness that made up the creature, and saw something else beginning to unfold._

_An image of himself…older, missing an eye, and leading a group that looked similar to the people calling themselves Chasers that had helped him in Radiant Gardens…The older Riku turned to face his present counterpart. _

_"You don't have much time, boy." He said sadly. "Be wary of the darkness within or without…and keep a close eye on your friends. Whether everything you've fought for is saved or lost will depend on your choices." He faded away. "Don't let Sora be lost in Birth Through Sleep…"_

_Riku saw Sora standing again, this time in front of the gates of Kingdom Hearts itself. He closed his eyes and spread his arms, no Keyblade in hand. The gates opened. Riku could only watch in horror as the light flew out, flowing over Sora. In moments, the force of it burned Sora's flesh from his bones. Visions continued, faster and faster as Sora's ashes and dying cry were washed away in a torrent of light._

_Mickey was cut down by a legion of armored keybearers…Cloud was stabbed again and again by a tall man wearing a ragged black cloak…Leon, badly wounded, stood hopelessly outnumbered by Heartless and more of the creatures that had attacked Riku earlier…Yuffie and Aerith both looking on in horror as Leon's gunblade clattered from his lifeless hands, moments before the cloaked man appeared behind them…_

_Finally, Riku fell to his knees. The last thing that lay before him was Kairi's battered body. The cloaked man stood over her, covered in blood and holding a black keyblade Riku couldn't quite recognize. Riku stared at the man._

_"Who are you? Why is this happening?" He shouted. The man stepped over Kairi, standing before Riku._

_**You'll find out who I am soon enough…I will walk among you before long. I will show you and Sora what Darkness truly is.**_

_Riku got up defiantly. _

_"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"_

_The man grabbed him by the throat. His grip was like an iron vice._

_**NOT YET.**_

Riku awoke in cold sweat. The sun was rising. He looked over, seeing his friends were all okay. He started, and turned to see the Nobody standing behind him.

"You! You helped us, didn't you?" He said, trying to get up. The man handed him a satchel.

"You'll need this." He said, backing away.

"Wait! Who are you?" The Nobody just shook his head.

"I'm not anything. I'm a Nobody." He paused, and took a deep breath. "Everything depends on you and Sora, Riku. Don't ever give up. No matter what happens…you're not alone."

Before Riku could say anything more, the Nobody was gone.

Riku sat for a moment in silence.

"Never give up…what do they know that we don't…?" He asked himself.

Riku waited for his friends to awaken, alone with his unanswered questions and growing fears about the future.


	20. Light and Shadow

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated. Sorry about the long pause, everybody, but I've had school and a major writer's block. Now that finals are over, I can finally begin working on this story again. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix does. 

**Chapter 20**

The room was a masterpiece that put even King Mickey's Throne Room to shame. The walls and floors were white with gold decoration scattered everywhere. Elegant runic designs trailed up large pillars from the ceiling to the floor. And on the walls were several large and elaborate tapestries depicting men and women in armor doing battle with Keyblades; in some pictures, with strange and terrible creatures that were seen fleeing from the light of the Keyblades even as they were being cut down.

In others, however, the armored warriors turned their Keyblades on one another. These tapestries were depicted with a deep sense of shame and warning about them; rather than the heroic clashes against the monsters, there were no clearly heroic figures in the battles as the knights fought each other; Keyblades lay rusted and breaking in the ground, forming paths through barren wastelands; bodies lay burned or bloody, some of them even frozen solid where they stood. The two types of tapestries were arranged on either side of a large throne in the middle of the room; to the right hand of the throne's occupant were the pictures of the knights united and triumphant; on the left, the dark confusion of a civil war among Keybearers.

The occupant of the throne was every bit as majestic as the room in which he was seated. He was covered from head to toe with white and gold armor, and wore a regal cape of the same coloring. Unlike the armor of the knights in the tapestries, the man's armor was flawless and seemed to glow with a light of its own; additionally, the helmet was crafted to include a crown upon its brow, although the helmet remained much like that of the other knights; the entire face of the wearer was covered, and the man looked at the room before him through an opaque visor. On the chest of his armor was an emblem seen all around the room, and even on the throne upon which he sat; a golden crown with a pair of large silver wings emerging from it.

The unbroken pattern of white and gold was abruptly shattered as a small black void appeared in the floor, and a being robed in darkness stepped out of it. It was the same hooded man both Sora and Riku had seen in their dreams, but rather than the imposing presence they'd faced, the hooded man now seemed out of place in this radiant environment, and carried himself in a subdued manner, like a servant. He bowed deeply to the man on the throne.

"Rise, Umbra." The man on the throne commanded. His voice, surprisingly soft and quiet while remaining utterly commanding, indicated he was younger than his imperious stature would suggest. The man in black, hearing his name, rose.

"I have been to see them…both of them." He said. His voice, too, was different than one would expect; no longer the deep, malicious snarl Sora and Riku had heard, his voice was now even and cultured, although with an odd sardonic edge to it, as though he were mocking life in general.

"I gathered as much by your return. Do you have any information that would warrant you crossing over once more? You were ordered to keep an eye on "Riku" and his accomplice." The man on the throne sighed. Umbra bowed once more.

"You'll forgive my loose interpretation of your orders, my lord, but some things are far too important." Umbra looked up. "We have made a grave error, you and I."

"Speak, Umbra. What error are you talking about?"

"The boy, sir. This Riku is not the traitor we're looking for." Umbra said, his voice losing the mocking edge. "He doesn't even know who the Chasers _are_!"

"That's impossible…" The man on the throne breathed. "Our seers do not lie or make mistakes. His resonance is exactly the same. No two hearts possess the same resonance! How could he be anyone but—"

"It is difficult to explain or believe, but we were deceived by strange circumstances." Umbra interrupted. "The boy…_is_ and _is not_ the traitor we seek. He is of two hearts…they are so closely entwined within him that we immediately mistook him for the traitor under another name. Having seen his face and mind with my own eyes, I know neither he or the other know anything about the charge against them."

The man on the throne sighed deeply.

"This cannot stand, Umbra. If the seers are wrong about this boy, how can I trust any resonance? How can we have _justice_ if the guilty one can hide inside the body of an innocent?"

"There are some very strange circumstances surrounding these two "innocents", sire." Umbra said quietly. "Riku gave off the resonance of the traitor, has his heart entombed within his own body, giving him power…it would be prudent for us to find out exactly how the traitor's heart became separated from his body. And the other…my lord…" Umbra paused awkwardly. "I…I think there is another Master on the other side!"

The man on the throne stood bolt upright.

"_Impossible. _The laws are absolute, and the keyblades cannot deviate from them. There is _one_ Master of Keyblade, and _only _one." The man seemed far more shaken than Umbra, although a strange fear radiated from both of them. "The Chasers cannot follow two Masters. We have seen where that leads. I will _not_ let another war break out."

"I have never met a mind like Sora's. Even when I cloak myself in his nightmares to enter his dreams, he fights. He cannot win, but he is far stronger in these confrontations than he realizes. He mastered a sacred art by _instinct_! He has learned from no teacher, and has carried his blade for barely two years. It should have taken him _years_ of training under a master to learn to wield the Keyblade like he does…especially _that_ one." The armored king sat down once more.

"The Kingdom Key?"

"Both of them are on that side. They've chosen wielders. The Kingdom Keys are no longer the rusted, withered power they were during the War." The man on the throne shook his head.

"There is more." When he said it, it was as a statement of fact, not a question.

"I cannot help but think it is a strange coincidence…both Keys restored to their full power, and given to wielders, who, despite their power, are not educated in the full abilities of their weapons or their ultimate function…and furthermore, the Keys appeared in the dimension closest to Kingdom Hearts." Umbra let the words sink in. "Whoever has both Kingdom Keys controls Kingdom Hearts, and by extension, life itself. I cannot help but think it is no coincidence that these events have come about in a time and place when Chasers would have them most difficulty protecting Kingdom Hearts."

"You think this is Xehanort's doing."

"I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility. All our previous attempts to regulate him failed…I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow managed to cross over rather than remain trapped in the void we sealed him in. He could well be making another bid for control of Kingdom Hearts, but for that he needs Sora."

"What would you have me do, Umbra?" The king asked with a sigh.

"Withdraw the death warrant on the boys. They have no idea what they're involved in, and have done the task we swore to do; they interfered in Kingdom Hearts, yes, but they kept it pure from darkness. They could be convinced to dedicate their power to our cause; if you would merely speak with them, I have no doubt they'd see reason."

"…Very well. Go and tell the Chasers I want these two brought before me alive, and that I wish to speak with them. Whether they join with us or not is ultimately unimportant, but they must be removed from that man's sphere of influence. I _will not_ let Xehanort bring the hell we suffered to other worlds. Everything else is secondary to the sanctity of Kingdom Hearts."

"Aye, my lord. The Light Prevails."

"The Light Prevails." Umbra bowed low, and turned to go.

"Umbra."

"Sire?"

"…Continue to watch their dreams. But be sure that you don't do anything that cannot be undone." The man's voice was grim. "Don't break them."

"I wouldn't dream of it, my lord." Umbra replied, and then he was gone as though he never existed. The man sat for a long time in stony silence.

"Damn you forever, Xehanort." He said quietly. "How much longer must our peace suffer for your greed?" The man stood up, and walked over to a tapestry depicting three knights doing battle with an old, bald man and a man in black armor.

"Never again." He said quietly. "I will _die _before I ever watch the rise of a second Keyblade War."


	21. Apology

Everyone,

This story has been deadfic for so long I doubt anyone's actually reading it, and that's my fault, so I'd like to start off apologizing for that. I got caught up in a lot of things, so it's been forever and two weeks since I even thought of updating this.

The main problem here was that I was unable to determine where exactly I should go with the story, and the hesitation resulted in the entire thing collapsing on itself. Superfluous characters that I now feel detract from the storytelling have already been placed in, as well as plot elements that don't work with the outline I had on closer inspection. Part of this was due to my inexperience causing me to try and fit the chapters I'd written to a new storyline instead of going with the one I started out with.

Since the resulting train-wreck has made this fic astonishingly hard to work with at this point, and my own mass revision of many things, including how I write, I figured out a solution.

This will be the last update for this incarnation of the fic. I am going to take some time to work out what I want to do with the story, and then start over from Chapter One with an entirely new fic, after which I will delete this one. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I do so in order to shield anyone that was reading and liking this story from my own mistakes in writing it. Here's to hoping my second try will be a more enjoyable read than the first.

Thank you for your patience and reviews. I will endeavor to do better with the new version than I did with this one.


End file.
